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PRIVATE TRIAL GROUNDS AT ELTHAM. 



PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 



PRACTICAL 
RIFLE SHOOTING 



WALTER WINANS 

CHEVALIER OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER OF ST. STANISLAS OF RUSSIA ; 
VICE-PRESIDE.VT OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF 
GREAT BRITAIN ; PRESIDENT OF I HE ASHFORD RIFLE 
CLUB ; VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH- 
HOUSE RIFLE CLUB, ETC. 

Author of " The Art of Revolver SItootiiig," "Hints on Revolver 
Sliooting" " The Sporting Rifle," etc. 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
NEW YORK AND LONDON 

Zbc 1kmcf?ei:bocl?er press 

1906 



G-V in 7 
1 




QSuijci I I'B ' "S^ 



Contents 



CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK . . . .1 



CHAPTER n 
FIRST PRINCIPLES ON ARTIFICIAL TARGETS . 5 

CHAPTER ni 
THE RUNNING DEER TARGET . . . -35 

CHAPTER IV 
ROOK AND RABBIT SHOOTING , . . 50 

CHAPTER V 
DEERSTALKING . . . . -54 

CHAPTER VI 

DEER DRIVING . . . ' . . 65 

vii 



viii CONTENTS 



CHAPTER VII 

PAGE 

DEER TRACKERS . . . . .68 



CHAPTER VIII 
FALLOW-DEER SHOOTING . . . . 8l 

CHAPTER IX 
ROE-DEER SHOOTING . . . .86 

CHAPTER X 
WILD-BOAR SHOOTING .... 89 

CONCLUSION . . ■ . . . .98 



CHAPTER I 



PURPOSE OF THE BOOK 



IN my first book on Revolver Shooting, (published 
in 1901), I drew attention to the dangerous 
consequences which a nation may incur when 
excessive devotion to such games as cricket, golf 
and football, leads its men to ignore the art of 
handling firearms. Many partisans of these games 
were indignant at my remarks, but two regrettable 
wars have had a salutary influence in this respect. 
Public opinion now endorses my doctrine of the 
absolute necessity that every able-bodied man 
should be able to bring at least as much skill to 
the handling of a rifle as he evinces with the cricket 
bat or golf club. 

A second desideratum mooted in my book — that 
advancing civilisation ought to subordinate the 
arbitrament of arms to the decisions of an inter- 
national Court of Arbitration, has, unfortunately, 
not been fulfilled as yet, though matters are trending 
that way. Until it is so fulfilled, men must be 
taught the proper handling of a rifle. 



2 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

There are many excellent works to be had on the 
subject of rifle shooting at targets, but I do not at 
the moment recall a single volume which teaches 
practical rifle shooting. By practical rifle shooting, 
I mean the capacity to so handle a rifle that the 
user can confidently expect to stop a wild animal 
even if in rapid motion and charging, or — in the 
case which I do not approve, but which may be an 
absolute necessity — a charging man. 

The nearest approach to such instruction is to be 
found in the pages of certain works on big-game 
shooting, but in order to have a connected manual 
under hand, one would need to peruse many such 
volumes, and to make extracts of the requisite 
passages. 

The following few pages are designed to furnish 
the beginner with a series of hints, by the use of 
which he may be enabled not only to put himself 
through a course of continuous and graduated 
training, but may also keep himself free of the 
tricks which impede progress, and which, if per- 
sisted in, will destroy his ability for an}' but the most 
artificial forms of shooting. 

It has been said, in certain quarters, that I 
condemn all target shooting as useless, but this is 
a serious misapprehension. The National Rifle 
Association, of which I have been a member for 
many years, has done more to encourage rifle 
shooting than any other organisation in the world. 
A beginner must commence his practice at a 



PURPOSE OF THE BOOK 3 

stationary target, and a pretty big target at that, for it 
is with the man as with the horse. No one attempts 
to train a horse to the High School by beginning 
with the " Spanish Trot," and similarly a man must 
advance to skill with the rifle by carefully work- 
ing up through successive stages of increasing 
difficulty. 

I could not, again, condemn scientific long- 
range rifle shooting, which has been most useful 
in bringing about the development of rifles, ammu- 
nition, sights, &c. The majority of improvements 
in modern military rifles are, indeed, adaptations 
from experimental improvements to the match 
weapon based upon experience at the ranges. 
Match rifle shooting is also a most fascinating 
sport, and it does not have a very deleterious 
influence, as some first-class big-game shots are 
known for their skill at the 1,000 yards Bisley 
range. 

What I do condemn is the class of shot who 
never fires a rifle except at the targets, and then 
only in the prone position. He may, and often 
does, make wonderful scores in this style, and 
beginners naturally try to emulate him, with 
the worst results to their capacity for practical 
work. 

A marksman of this kind is sometimes called 
a pot-hunter, but the use of such a term is a 
confession of ignorance, since I have yet to see 
the man whose winnings at the stationary target 



4 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

could do more than cover his bare expenses, 
however good a shot he may be. Men with skill 
of the kind do not shoot for the money, but for 
the sport of the thing. It is a good sport, a 
clean and sober sport, but it is not practical rifle 
sJiootiiig. 



CHAPTER II 

FIRST PRINCIPLES ON ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 

THE tyro who has never been used to handle 
any kind of firearm, cannot do better than 
procure a '22 cal. rim-fire rifle. There are many 
makes on the market from which he can suit 
himself, but an expensive weapon is unnecessary. 
The accuracy of any such arm is sufficient for the 
novice at the very short ranges with which he is 
to commence practice. The reason I recommend 
this small-charge rifle for the beginner is that he 
should not feel any recoil, and therefore escape 
the impulse to flinch ; the short -22 calibre rim-fire 
cartridge is the cheapest, and makes least noise 
and recoil. 

The pupil who is already used to handling a 
shot-gun may begin with larger calibres, as he will 
not become "gun shy" at the recoil. For the 
moment, however, I write for the absolute tyro 
who has never been used to firearms of any 
description. I may here mention that calibre is 



6 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

expressed in decimal points ; "22 calibre means that 
the bore of the rifle is "22 of an inch in diameter. 

The trigger-pull of the rifle should be adjusted 
to about a three-pounds pull. Cheap rifles cannot 
be made with so light a pull as superior weapons, 
because the softer quality of the metal used in their 
locks cannot be trusted for pulls of more than a 
certain lightness, as it wears rapidly to a dangerously 
light trigger-pull. The actual strength of the 
trigger-pull with which a given weapon is to be 
fitted should therefore be left to the gunmaker, who 
is conversant with its capabilities, subject to a 
general direction as above. It is to be impressed 
upon him that what you want is the lightest pull 
consistent with safety. 

The question of trigger-pull is of the utmost 
importance. The heavy trigger-pull of military 
regulation patterns greatly enhances the difficulty 
of taking aim at moving objects.^ 

The sights of the rifle are the next point for 
attention. 

A page of this book will serve to indicate how 



^ I take this opportunity of suggesting that army shoot- 
ing would be greatly improved if the regulation trigger- 
pull were lightened. I do not apprehend that such a change 
would increase the danger of premature or accidental dis- 
charge. The present heavy pull makes the men heavy-handed. 
A light trigger-pull would teach the men to keep their fingers 
ofE the trigger until the actual moment of discharge, whereas 
the heavy pull causes them to keep a finger in the trigger 
guard, and to hang on to the trigger. 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 7 

far along the barrel the hind-sight should be placed. 
For this purpose hold a page at varying distances 
from your eyes until you have discovered exactly 
how close you can hold a page without causing 
the letters to appear blurred. The hind-sight of your 
rifle should be fixed on the barrel at this distance 
from your best eye — the right eye, in case the sight 
of both eyes is identical — when the weapon is at 
your shoulder and you are looking along the barrel 
according to the directions which follow. If your 
left eye is the best, you had better shoot left-handed, 
i.e., put the rifle to your left shoulder and use 
your left fore-finger for the trigger, although that 
finger is not so sensitive as the right fore-finger. 

Do not crane the head forward, but stand upright 
and bring the rifle slowly to your shoulder. The 
right arm is to be well extended, but not so far 
as to make your position stiff. 

Take aim by looking through the hind-sight, but 
not bx loivering your head. 

Personally, I do not lower my head at all, but 
bring the stock sufficiently high up my shoulder 
to bring the sights up to my eye. The eye is not to be 
brought down to the sights, but the sights brought up 
to the eye. The stock of the rifle must fit you to 
enable you to do this; I give directions for this later. 

The importance of this direction for sighting, 
when firing at objects in quick motion, or in 
" snap-shooting," cannot be exaggerated, as any 
user of the shot-gun will bear witness. 



8 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

The usual head-poked-forward attitude, and the 
regulation high position of the right elbow adopted 
by soldiers, is one of the chief reasons why they are 
unable to hit moving objects. 

The "22 rifle has a short barrel, and you will 
generally find that the makers fit the hind-sight 
far too close to the eye for any but the most 
short-sighted. Such a sight appears blurred on 
trial. When, however, it has been moved forward 
sufficiently to enable you to clearly distinguish 
the " V " in it, you will probably find that there 
remains very little space between the hind and 
front sights. This adjustment makes correct long- 
range aiming more difficult, for the closeness of the 
two sights magnifies any error in your aim; but this 
will not prove a hindrance to correct shooting at the 
short ranges with which you will commence prac- 
tice with this rifle, and the ease and speed with 
which you can take aim will more than compensate 
any such variation. 

The whole art of practical rifle shooting consists in 
the niarksnian's ability to take instantaneous aim, 
and to discharge his weapon before he loses that 
aim. 

It is of little value to understand where the hind- 
sight should be placed upon a rifle, if that sight 
is incorrectly shaped. There ought to be a wide 
shallow *' V," so that the front-sight can be in- 
stantly centred in it, but all side projectors, as in 
the American Buck Horn sight, I consider a 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 9 

hindrance. The sight should be made very thick, 
at least one-third of an inch in thickness. The 
** V " should be wide and shallow, with its 
edges bevelled to the face farthest from the eye. 
This arrangement gives the " V " a clear knife-edge, 
and yet does not weaken its sides. Also the hind- 
sight must be upright or incline slightly towards 
your eye ; if it inclines away from the eye (as makers 
like to set it), it does not look the dead black which 
it does when in shadow, and consequently is not so 
great a contrast to your white front-sight. 

The best front-sight is a bead-sight. If the 
whole of this is seen, the elevation (or vertical 
adjustment of aim) can be kept constant ; with 
" barley-corn," or pyramid-shaped, front-sights the 
eye catches a variable portion of the front-sight in 
successive aims, which are consequently liable to be 
placed too high or low. Target shots correct this 
source of error by painting dots, &c., on the front- 
sight, of course, an inadmissible device for practical 
work. The bead, for a beginner, is to be at least 
one-quarter of an inch in diameter, and it should 
be white. All military rifles have black front-sights, 
which are practically useless except against a white 
target. It was doubtless the target shooters, not 
practical shots, who decided on black front-sights 
for military rifles, for sporting rifles are always sold 
with plated or white front-sights. For the benefit 
of American readers I may explain that by sporting 
I mean what is called a hunting rifle in the States ; 



lo PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

the American "sporting" rifle is called a "match" 
rifle in England, 

The best material for a white bead-sight is the 
Lyman inlaid-ivory. A good substitute is white 
enamel, but both are unfortunately brittle. The 
easiest and cheapest, although a troublesome, 
method for obtaining a white sight is to carry 
a tube of water-colour Chinese white, from which 
a squeeze of white may be applied to the bead as 
a preliminary to shooting. I always carry such a 
tube of Chinese white when out deerstalking or 
shooting wild boar, and in the latter case, when 
quick, accurate firing in a bad light may be called 
for, the little consequent trouble may well save 
a man's life. 

As I have already said, the hind-sight is to be 
upright ; better still, it may be slightly inclined 
towards the shooter. 

Many sporting rifles are fitted with a hind-sight 
sloped away from the shooter, and the eye con- 
sequently sees the back-sight as grey, thanks to 
the reflection of light from above. The " V " thus 
loses in definition, while the contrast between the 
black hind-sight and the white of the front-sight 
is destroyed. In order to maintain the blackness 
of the hind-sight, shooters may carry a supply of 
the usual sight black sold by gunmakers. In case 
of need the smoke from a lighted match is a 
serviceable substitute. 

For the first lesson, to which we are now to 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS ii 

proceed, it is essential that the back-sight should 
be as dead a black as possible. It is best artificially 
blackened. This painting of sights may appear a 
concession on my part to target-shooters' methods, 
but I borrow them for the beginner, whose lessons 
should be made as easy as is possible. I do not 
approve of the platina line usual on the hind-sight 
of sporting rifles ; it only gets confused with the 
front-sight, and does not enable you to find the 
centre of the '* V " any easier. 

Open the breech of your rifle and make certain 
that it is unloaded. In the case of a drop-barrel 
action, do not raise the barrel into line with the 
butt when closing the breech, but elevate the butt. 

The pupil is to stand in front of a mirror. Look 
at the right eye of the face reflected in the glass. 
The rifle should now be brought to the shoulder 
and the reflected eye covered with the front-sight. 
The reflected eye must be looked at with your 
head erect. Bring up the rifle to your shoulder 
slowly, and, if the stock fits you properly, as it 
touches your shoulder, your eye, the bottom of 
the "V" of the hind-sight, and the whole of the 
bead of the front-sight should be in line with 
the bottom of the reflection of your eye in the 
glass. If this does not come readily, consult your 
gunmaker as to the fit of the rifle's stock. 

Most '22 rifles are, in my opinion, fitted with stocks 
that are much too short. The fit of the stock of a rifle 
is as important as the fit of the stock of a shot-gun. 



12 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

It is customary with some gunmakers to ignore the 
essential nature of thus fitting the stock of a rifle 
to its user, although they take great pains with the 
fit of a shot-gun ; but the ability to take quick and 
accurate aim depends upon such '* fit," whatever 
the class to which the weapon belongs. It is 
unfortunate that the majority still look on a rifle 
as a weapon only fit for deliberate shooting at 
stationary objects. With the badly-balanced regu- 
lation rifle, a stock which is not fitted, a heavy 
trigger-pull, and a black front-sight, the soldier has 
a combination with which it would puzzle the best 
shot in the world to make good snap-shooting. 

Besides adjusting the fit of the stock, a gunmaker 
can render the novice another service. Being 
assured that the weapon is unloaded, take aim 
at the gunmaker's eye. He will then tell you 
whether you cant the rifle to one side in the act 
of aiming, and how to squeeze-off the trigger instead 
of pulling it, and so jerking-off your aim. A man 
accustomed to a shot-gun will not need this instruc- 
tion. Experience with that weapon will soon tell 
him whether the stock of his rifle fits, or if it needs 
more bend, cast-off, to be lengthened or shortened. 

The scene of a first essay at rifle shooting should 
be chosen with a careful eye to the background, 
which should be ample and safe, so that wherever 
a bullet goes it will do no damage. Also, there 
should be no hard substances about, such as stones, 
&c., off which a bullet will ricochet. A bullet, 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 13 

striking water at an angle which is in any real 
degree more acute or obtuse than a right angle, is 
almost sure to ricochet. 

The first mark may be a tin can, or other 
easily penetrable mark of about that size. The mark 
should be supported at the level of the pupil's eye 
upon a short wooden stake. An iron rod must not 
be used for this purpose. The light bullet of a "22 
rifle will glance ofif an iron support, and may do 
damage in consequence ; and the same risk makes 
a glass bottle an unsuitable target for use with this 
weapon. Do not have this object so supported that 
it drops off if the stake is hit. The mark ought to 
stand at a distance of not less than ten yards in 
front of a butt, which should be composed of some 
soft material, such as earth or sand, in order that 
the bullets may imbed themselves in it and not 
rebound. Even hard wood is a dangerous butt 
with these light bullets, which are apt to fly back 
if they strike a knot in it. 

At first, take plenty of time, and bring the rifle 
to your shoulder with the greatest deliberation, but 
lire the instant it touches your shoulder. Be 
careful, at the moment of firing, that you do not 
jerk the weapon off its aim, and be especially on 
guard against bobbing or dropping the muzzle of 
the rifle as you squeeze the trigger — a hard trigger- 
pull adds to this tendency. 

The first distance may be five yards, and at this 
range practice a gradual increase of speed in firing 



14 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

as you gain in confidence and ability to hit the 
mark. Do not increase the speed at which yon bring 
the rifle to tJie shoulder, but let all the saving in time 
be made after the weapon is raised, and not in the act 
of raising the rifle. 

" Festina lente," " make haste by going slowly," is 
the motto for rapid shooting. Haste in bringing 
the rifle to the shoulder results in erroneous first 
alignment of the sights upon the mark. In conse- 
quence, you either fire and miss, or time is wasted in 
finding your sights. A good object-lesson in the 
right method of taking aim for rapid firing may be 
learned by watching a first-class game-shot. The 
shot-gun comes up to the shoulder rapidly but not 
hurriedly, smoothly, and is discharged on the in- 
stant of touching the shoulder. Do not let the butt 
of the stock slide up your shoulder ; bring the rifle 
zvell forward and then back into the shoulder ; 
do not have any lappet or pocket or other uneven- 
ness on that side of your coat to catch, or otherwise 
impede, the butt of the rifle. Wear a soft-fronted 
shirt, or shoot in your shirt-sleeves. 

There is a machine, called the " sub-target," 
which is useful. 

The machine consists of a stand to which any 
make of rifle can be attached in such a way that 
there is no perceptible obstruction to the freedom 
with which the rifle can be handled within a limited 
field. This field is, however, sufficient to in no way 
embarrass any handling of the rifle necessary in 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 15 

connection with taking aim at a stationary target. 
When the sights of the rifle are aligned on the 
target, a pointer follows these movements on a 
miniature target affixed to the machine. When the 
rifle is fired this pointer pierces the miniature target 
at a spot exactly corresponding to the spot, on the 
real target, at which the rifle's sights were aligned 
at the moment of firing. 

In point of fact, the action of the machine is 
more delicate than this blunt statement indicates. 
The moment at which the trigger of a rifle is pulled 
and that at which the bullet leaves the muzzle do 
not coincide completely. The sub-target rifle re- 
cognises this, and its pointer does not pierce the 
miniature target at the moment when the trigger 
of the rifle is pulled, but at that in which the bullet 
(if the rifle were loaded) would leave the muzzle. 
This is a most important feature, for, infinitesimal 
as is this difference in time, it is sufficient for 
the recoil, if the rifle were loaded, to throw the 
front-sight slightly out of the alignment which the 
marksman chose. 

The machine can be used with blank cartridges, 
so crimped as to cause a recoil, and the best practice 
is to mix blank and dummy cartridges. If the 
instructor handles these mixed loadings the pupil 
will not be forewarned when to expect a recoil or 
explosion and when no result as the hammer strikes. 
Thus there will be demonstrable evidence of the 
extent to which men, imperfectly cured of gun- 



i6 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

shyness, flinch and "shoot wild" when pressing a 
trigger which they expect to cause an explosion 
and recoil. 

The machine has the advantage of greatly re- 
moving the difliculty which want of space causes 
to those who desire practice. It also gives no 
opportunity for complaint from neighbours who 
object to the noise of firing. It can be set up in 
a billiard- or reading-room and really cause no 
annoyance to other users of the room. 

I suggest its use in institutes. 

I wish to emphasise this point. Use dark targets 
with neutral colour bull's-eyes, so that you may use a 
white front-sight on the rifles. As already repeated 
several times over, the practical rifle fore-sight 
is white, not black, and ihe practical target ought, 
therefore, to be dark. 

Reverting to real shooting, practice may be varied 
after a while by taking up a position with the back 
to the target. Then turn and fire. Before attempt- 
ing this variation of your practice, be careful to 
satisfy yourself that no dangerous results will follow 
should you accidentally let the weapon off while in 
the act of turning towards the mark. Do not, how- 
ever, attempt firing in this way until considerable 
practice has taught you not to feel flustered. Later, 
you may take up a position at a distance from the 
point at which you mean to fire, advancing, halting, 
and firing instantly as you stop at different distances. 
In no case must you permit yourself to blaze away, 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 17 

but always make certain of your aim, even if you are 
conscious that you are slow in doing so. It is 
natural to keep increasing the speed at which you 
fire, and then to find that you have lost accuracy 
at the price of speed. The only cure is to begin 
anew, at the shorter range and with greater 
deliberation. 

It is advantageous to have some one to replace 
the fallen or damaged cans, as walking to and fro 
between the mark and firing point both wearies a 
man and takes his attention from the real business 
in hand. But ivhether a rifle be loaded or empty, open 
or shut, remember that it must never be pointed in this 
man's ditection. It is absolutely essential to learn 
from the first that a rifle must never be pointed at 
any living thing unless with the intention of killing 
it. Be especially careful that a rifle is not pointing 
towards any one as you load it. It may jar-off ; some 
otherwise very careful shots are guilty of this fault. 

An air-gun might be used for this preliminary 
practice. But something much softer than a tin 
would have to be used as mark. 

A small miniature running deer can be set up in 
any room for shooting at with an air-gun. 

It should be made of soft wood, a profile of 
a stag, not modelled in relief, and shoot at it with 
darts, not slugs. A modelled stag causes the slugs 
to glance. A dart sticks in the deer and shows 
the hits, whereas a slug would glance off, or 
anyhow not show hits so distinctly. 

3 



i8 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

If you have darts coloured differently for each 
shooter, you can tell who makes the best score, 
rather on the principle of playing bowls ; after each 
man has shot six shots, for instance, you can look at 
the darts sticking in the " deer " and see whose 
average "hit" has been closest to the heart. 

The labour of loading is, however, an objection, 
as loading between each shot will make your hand 
shake. In using this weapon it is, therefore, de- 
sirable to employ a loader. 

The beginner must not rush into practice. A 
dozen shots are quite enough for the first day; on 
subsequent days the number may be increased 
gradually. Stop at the least symptom of fatigue 
or carelessness. You must not mind if all your 
shots are too high or too low, for this merely 
means that the sights need adjustment. In the 
former case, file down the base of the " V " of the 
hind-sight ; in the latter, obtain a higher hind-sight 
(or alter the front-sight conversely). If your shots 
vary, sorne high, some low, the cause is bad shoot- 
ing, and not an error in the sights. 

If you find that you cannot hit the mark even 
when taking deliberate aim, get the gunmaker to 
try some shots from a rest, and regulate the 
weapon, as may be necessary, to shoot higher 
or lower. But on no account attempt to use a 
rest for yourself, or you will find it so pleasant, and 
so comparatively easy, that you will be tempted to 
shoot from a rest or in the prone position. 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 19 

The object of the course which I advise is to teach 
you to become a first-class shot while standing, 
and when firing at moving objects, before you are 
acquainted with the temptations held out by other 
positions. The user of a rifle ought no more to 
take a '' pot shot," or shoot from a rest, than the 
user of a shot-gun. 

The deleterious fascination of shooting in the 
prone position, and of "resting" the rifle, needs 
no further demonstration than may be had by 
observing the general failure of English shots, 
compelled to shoot in the erect position, in com- 
petitions in the United States or on the Continent- 
Continental and American shots do not fail in this 
way. 

The regular excuse of men who have failed to 
shoot straight in the erect position is that *' the 
position is not military." This may be so. I have 
had no experience, as I am thankful to say I have 
never yet had occasion to fire at a man. But my 
experience of big-game shooting teaches me that at 
least half my shots have been made when standing 
erect ; and I cannot but think that a skirmisher will 
often need to fire as he stands, or as he runs for- 
ward, under conditions in which the adoption of 
any other position would hide his mark from sight, 
or waste the moment when alone he could fire 
with effect. 

The pupil is not to proceed to the second stage 
of practice until he has learned to fire accurately 



20 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

and rapidly under the conditions which I have de- 
scribed : — while standing erect with the "22 cahbre 
rifle, when standing with his back to the mark and 
firing as he turns, and when halting to fire as he 
advances towards his mark. As a definition of good 
shooting in this style, I may call a '' good shot " one 
who can hit the tin, allowing two seconds for raising 
the rifle and firing, twenty-four out of twenty-five 
times. I do not say every time, as the mere fact of 
being able to hit it every time makes a man some- 
times miss from being too confident and careless. 

The second stage of practice consists in firing at 
objects crossing the line of fire away from and 
towards one, slowly at first, later at increasing 
speeds. 

The *22 rifle used heretofore is an excellent 
weapon for the next stage did it not require reload- 
ing after every shot. I want you to get into the 
way of rapid aiming and rapid firing, and for this 
reason a repeater, or one of the new Winchester 
automatic rifles, is to be preferred. The automatic 
Winchester is a very pleasant weapon to " play 
with" ; you can keep a tin can rolling by "pumping" 
a series of shots at it. After missing a shot at a 
moving object, it allows of one's putting in several 
further shots in as many half-seconds, while it does 
not disturb one's aim or attention like the usual re- 
peating rifle which requires hand ejection. It can 
also be had in '32 and •38 calibres central fire, shoot- 
ing smokeless pow^der and nickel-covered bullets. 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 21 

Avoid most moving targets which travel on an 
overhead wire. They run unevenly, and a mark 
which progresses by fits and starts is much more 
difficult to hit than one travelling at an even rate, or 
even at alternating — faster and slower — speeds, and 
it is therefore apt to vex a beginner, and is no 
practice even for an expert as regards teaching 
"allowance" in front of an object. 

A good form of moving target runs down an 
inclined plane of which the ends are alternately 
lifted, so that the target runs by simple force of 
gravity. 

In another form, as at Gastinne Renette's gallery 
in Paris, galloping rabbits pass by hydraulic 
power. 

A useful form of practice target is one in which 
small targets appear at uncertain points, and dis- 
appear again after a two-seconds exposure. In fact, 
there is scarcely any limit to the variety of moving 
and disappearing target practice which can be 
secured by exercising a little ingenuity. 

But, whatever your target and its action, do not 
have a bullseye, and above all do not have a white 
target with a black bullseye. 

The proper target for present purposes may be of 
any uniform neutral tint ivith no mark in the centre. 
Begin with a size which you can easily hit, and then 
gradually decrease the size. You must not be 
satisfied until you have learned to hit this target 
fairly in the centre, although that centre is not 



22 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

indicated upon it. Always shoot consciously to hit the 
centre. You will, with practice, and only practice, 
learn how much to aim in front of the centre, 
according to its distance and speed. 

At the short range, to which you still adhere, no 
allowance need be made for the rate at which the 
target is travelling unless it is actually ''thrown" 
— i.e., no speed allowance need be made for a mark 
moving at less than ten miles an hour. 

Unless a man is left-handed, and so shoots from 
his left shoulder, he will soon find that it is 
easier to hit an object moving from right to left, 
rather than one moving in the contrary direction. 
As an illustration of this truth I will mention the 
case of a keeper of my acquaintance. He is equally 
ready to shoot from either shoulder, and when out 
ferreting he stands prepared to fire from whichever 
shoulder is likely to afford him the easier shot. 
Thus if a rabbit bolts to the right he fires from his 
left shoulder, with the right arm extended, and vice 
versa. 

If a pupil finds that he can shoot better from 
the left shoulder, whether because he uses that side 
from preference, since the left eye has better vision, 
or because his left forefinger responds more truly 
to the will, or he is left-handed, by all means let 
him shoot from that side. 

The trigger is always to be squeezed by the first 
finger. The grip of the old Martini rifle was so 
thick that men with small hands were compelled 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 23 

to use the second finger. The neater grip of 
modern rifles has removed this necessity, but one 
sees the trick perpetuated even in the handUng of 
revolvers, although in this case it entails a scorched 
first finger, owing to the blowback of powder from 
the cylinder. Apart from the awkward appearance 
of the trick it is illogical. The simplest experiment 
in fine work will demonstrate the higher sensitive- 
ness of the first finger, and to wilfully use the second 
in pulling a trigger is to handicap one's ability to 
shoot straight. 

Many of the bad habits older shots have got into, 
and which the younger consciously follow, are 
similar survivals of what was very useful and 
necessary in former times, but are now not only 
unnecessary but even a hindrance. 

The final stage in this kind of practice-shooting is 
to fire at marks flung into the air, rolled or trundled 
past one, or away from one. For such practice, 
automatic or repeating rifles are to be used, unless 
the cost of them prove prohibitive. Such rifles 
allow a series of shots to be fired until the mark is 
hit. A sandy soil is, again, for rolling targets, the 
best upon which to practise, since the spurt of dust 
which is flung up by the impact of each bullet can 
be used as an index to the error in aiming, showing 
as it does whether the bullet struck the ground over 
or under, in front or behind, the mark, and one 
can correct one's aim for the next shot. 

The ordinary clay pigeon machine makes too 



24 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

difficult shooting for all but the most expert rifle 
shots. Such a trap as the old-fashioned Bogardus 
trap, throwing glass balls, is better, since these 
machines cast the mark more vertically into the air 
and slower, and the shooter can be closer to the 
target. But whatever the mark, it should always 
be of a brittle substance easily penetrated, or there 
is a risk that the bullet may glance off and inflict 
injury at a distance. For the same reason it is 
better not to have the marks thrown up by hand, 
unless it can be arranged that the person charged 
with throwing them is safely sheltered behind 
bullet-proof and glance-proof shelter. To shoot 
at a stone thrown in the air, or even a bottle, (if 
this latter is shot at with a small charge), is a very 
dangerous practice, on account of the bullets 
glancing aside on impact. 

One cannot be too careful in the selection of a 
ground when bullets are to be fired into the air. 
The popular idea that a bullet " fired into the air " 
can do no. harm — as in the police-court plea, "I 
only fired into the air in order to frighten him ! " 
—is quite erroneous. A bullet propelled by a heavy 
charge, even a bullet from the '22 short cartridge, 
may do great harm, although fired into the air. My 
own feeling about the risk is such that I never feel 
entirely comfortable when using a rifle for rook 
shooting, for fear that one of the falling bullets 
may strike and injure some one. 

A '22 rifle may be safely used from the seashore 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 25 

as long as — granting that the day is clear — no boats 
or bathers are in range (say 700 yards, a '22 bore 
bullet). Objects thrown into the air between 
the marksman and the sea can then be safely 
fired at, while objects flung into the water and 
fired at as the waves toss them, make good 
practice ; but the glare from the water is trying for 
the eyes, unless you use blue or grey goggles. 

Increase the calibre of your rifle as you become 
expert with the "22, if you can afford the necessary 
outlay, and go through the same progressive 
course of practice as before. What you want to 
learn is to be as handy with the rifle, which you 
are to use either for big game or war, as small- 
game shots are with their shot-guns. 

If you unfortunately have to use a military 
weapon, you will not take long to learn that it is 
impossible to do good snap-shooting with the 
heavy regulation trigger - pull. Further, some 
patterns of military rifle have a draw-puW which 
renders them particularly awkward for quick 
shooting. 

Some men find that they can shoot wonderfully 
fast with the "aperture," or Lyman, back-sight. 
The Lyman back-sight consists of a circular aper- 
ture in an upright stem. Instead of taking aim by 
seeing the fore-sight bead in the bottom of the 
" V " of the back-sight, the user of the Lyman back- 
sight centres his bead through this circular aperture. 
The advantage of the sight is that the user need 



26 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

make no effort to see the bead in the centre of the 
back-sight's hole, for the eye naturally performs this 
centring. The hole can, consequently, be of a com- 
paratively large diameter without hindrance to the 
user's accuracy in aim. 

In ordinary shooting, especially when the mark is 
a stationary target, the marksman's eye is trying to 
focus the mark, the back and front sight, all at the 
same time — an impossible feat, because the human 
eye can only focus at one distance at any one 
moment. Most men reach nothing but a compro- 
mise, and see no one of the three points with real 
clearness, and this is particularly the case when the 
hind-sight is not placed sufficiently forward. My 
principle — and I believe that it is the principle of all 
rapid firers — is to concentrate my sight on the mark 
and to focus my eye on this alone. If the rifle's 
stock fits properly, and you are in practice, the 
sights then come naturally into line, and the trigger 
is pressed without consciously troubling about their 
focus. 

If practice shows that this is not possible 
for any given man, he may derive advantage from 
the use of the Lyman back-sight, as then the 
hind-sight needs no focussing. 

Remember that the Lyman back-sight is to he used 
like a window. You are to look through it, and not to 
trouble about its existence, still less about bringing it 
into focus. The front-sight is sufficiently far away 
from the eye to be seen quite clearly, although the 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 27 

eye is fixed on the mark to be hit. I doubt if any 
one can become a really good shot if he mixes the 
use of a "V" and the Lyman back-sight. The 
user's experience must guide his choice, unless, if 
he be a soldier, red tape has anything to say against 
the Lyman. I have not had much practice with 
the latter except at stationary targets, and I have 
then seemed to find that its use has an appreciable 
effect in the way of diminishing the eye-strain of 
aiming, and I can shoot very rapidly with it. 
Its use has suggested this doubt to my mind — 
that the Lyman sight might be dangerous when 
heavy charges are in use because it might strike 
the eye during recoil. Fuller experience will no 
doubt enable others to say if this is a real or base- 
less fear, or if the pin might not be placed far 
enough from the eye to avoid this danger. In 
that case the aperture would have to be made 
larger. 

When firing at moving objects, the rifle should 
always be brought to the shoulder with deliberation, 
— in early attempts — and body, arms, and rifle 
should swing so that the rifle comes to the shoulder 
already "following" the object. Follow your 
moving mark by swinging the extended arm and 
the upper part of your body in the direction of 
the object's motion, as you raise the rifle. This 
motion must not be checked when the sights are 
aligned, but the trigger is to be pressed while the 
motion continues. 



28 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

Theoretically a rifle should be fired as would be a 
shot-gun in the hands of an adept, as soon as the 
butt touches the shoulder. This is possible at 
short ranges, and comparatively large objects, but 
at longer ranges a certain interval must usually 
intervene while the weapon follows the motion 
of the mark. In practice, therefore, the rifle- 
shot must shoot like a rather ''pokey" gun-shot. 
You should, however, try to snap-shoot as much 
as possible. It is better shooting to fire thus, and 
the more rapidly a man fires after the butt has 
once touched his shoulder the less danger will there 
be for those who shoot with him or the beaters, as 
he fires when he sees " all clear " ; if he '' follows " 
too much he may swing across a danger zone. 

Practice alone can tell a man what " allowance " 
he is to make in shooting at a moving object. The 
allowance, whether above or below, before or 
behind the mark, depends on the man as well as 
upon the speed and direction of the object aimed at. 
Some men. cannot continue the swing of their 
weapon at the moment of firing, and they must, 
therefore, make a correspondingly increased allow- 
ance. Others find that their trigger-finger responds 
more or less quickly to the alignment of the sights. 

For practice at objects trundled along the ground 
no mark is more serviceable than a couple of clay 
pigeons, fixed with the concave sides together. 
Sandy soil is preferable for reasons already given, 
but stony soil must be avoided owing to the danger 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 29 

of bullets ricochetting on impact with a stone. A 
repeater is altogether better than a single-shot rifle, 
as a miss with the latter allows of no second 
shot at the same object. Consequently you can- 
not attempt to correct the error which led to the 
miss, or compare the margin of error between two 
misses. It is really impossible to trundle two suc- 
cessive clays at the same speed and angle, 

A swinging ball naturally suggests itself as an 
easy device to work, but it is a treacherous mark. 
Human nature just as naturally teaches you to wait 
for the end of the swing before firing. The swing- 
ing ball mark, therefore, teaches trick shooting. The 
same temptation must be guarded against when the 
mark is a clay pigeon thrown from a trap. You are 
apt to take it at the top of its flight. 

A good mark for a '22 rifle is a small toy balloon 
inflated with gas and let loose, but it is a dangerous 
mark unless you are firing out to sea, and then you 
must be certain that no boats or swimmers are 
within range. 

As soon as the pupil has obtained thorough 
mastery of the *22 rifle for rapid firing at stationary 
and moving marks, at ranges up to twenty yards, it 
is time to proceed to longer ranges. For these a 
weapon of larger calibre is better, though not abso- 
lutely necessary. 

Such an advance necessitates increased outlay and 
increased command of space, and one or either of 
these considerations may preclude the possibility 



30 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

of doing more than perfecting practice at the 
short range and with the "22 caHbre. Those whom 
necessity may disappoint in this way can, however, 
indulge in this consolation, if they have followed 
my suggestions faithfully ^ — that they are good shots 
within their limiis, and that a man who is a first- 
rate shot within those limits only needs the means 
of practice and a little application in order in a very 
short time to qualify himself at longer ranges 
and with heavier rifles, and even, without further 
practice, to beat any man who has only done 
"regulation target shooting" and no practical 
shooting. 

Men accustomed to handle shot-guns, and there- 
fore not afraid of, or liable to have their nerves 
upset by, the noise and recoil, have no need to 
commence rifle practice with the '22, but may 
handle a rifle of heavier calibre from the first. 
Such a pupil must, none the less, be content to 
make a beginning with a large target and at short 
ranges, and will have to be extremely careful to 
have a safe background, passed as safe by an 
expert. 

Those who do not mind a little expense can 
have a special shot-gun made to use as one would 
a rifle. For this purpose a single or double barrel 
28 or 32 bore shot-gun should be selected, one 
with the most extreme choke possible, shooting 
the " number " of shot with which it makes the 
closest pattern. Fit it with rifle-sights, and use 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 31 

clay pigeons from the machine as a mark. 
If the choke is really extreme, such a weapon 
needs to be held nearly as straight at a clay 
pigeon as a rifle would have to be at a roe deer, 
and affords excellent practice in rapid sighting. 
It must not, however, be handled as a shot-gun 
without sights, but a *' bead " is to be drawn, 
exactly as though the weapon were a rifle. It 
enables one to practise a particular shot for 
an indefinite number of times while standing on 
a fixed spot and firing at a series of clay pigeons 
sent up from a machine adjusted to a given angle 
and strength, till you can make certain of that 
particular shot and know the exact allowance for 
it. A series of trials, with the machine sending up 
its pigeons at a different angle in each, will soon 
teach you what your allowance must be for each 
angle and speed, and you instinctively, when 
shooting at a deer, allow the proper distance for 
whatever direction or at what speed he is travelling. 
The ideal stage is reached when, like a billiard- 
player, the marksman's eye intuitively calculates 
"such a speed and such an angle, therefore this 
allowance." 

When a pupil has mastered all the above varieties 
of shooting at the moving target, but not before he 
has done so, he may allow himself to fire in the 
back or prone position at fixed targets, and at 
ranges from 100 up to 1,000 or more yards. I 
personally prefer the back position, which is 



32 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

regulation in the U.S., but I believe not regula- 
tion in any other armies. In this art I will not 
attempt to become an instructor — first, because there 
are plenty of excellent books upon the subject ; and 
next, because I have no pretensions to be called a 
target-shot with the rifle. I would, however, say 
this— 

The better a man learns to shoot in slow shooting 
at a fixed target, in the prone or back position, or 
even ivhen kneeling, the worse shot he will become for 
shooting at moving targets or for quick shooting, and 
for shooting in the standing position, and vice versa. 

To become an all-round shot one must, of course, 
learn to shoot in all styles, but any man who wishes 
to become a practical shot, and to remain one, must 
be very careful not to overdo deliberate shooting. 
There are a few exceptional men who can be pointed 
out as first-class shots at fixed targets, and also at 
big game ; but I do not recall a single first-class 
big-game shot with the sporting rifle who is also 
a first-class shot with the military weapon. The 
only man who, to my knowledge, might be named 
as evidence disproving this statement uses the 
sporting and military weapons equally well at 
both moving and fixed objects, but I understand 
that he confines his practice at the butts to ranges 
not exceeding one hundred yards. He is also a first- 
class gun-shot. All my experience leads me to repeat 
that nothing spoils practical rifle shooting so much 
as indulgence in deliberate shooting at a fixed target. 



ARTIFICIAL TARGETS 33 

Bisley must necessarily provide more fixed targets 
than moving targets, its supply of targets being 
strictly calculated to meet the demand for them 
by those who come to the ranges, but I feel sure 
that the National Rifle Association only needs to 
find a demand for more moving targets in order 
to provide them. A mounted cavalryman, at a 
200 to 250 yards range, would be a useful target 
when that day arrives. 

In this connection, I will mention what has been 
one of my dreams for some years. Speaking from 
memory, I think that the trolleys which are used for 
shifting targets run down the long inclined line of 
rails at the " 90 " butt at a speed of nearly twenty 
miles an hour, if left to themselves. They run by 
gravity. Twenty miles an hour is about the speed 
which would be right for a big target representing a 
cavalry charge, and there is room at the " 90 butt " 
firing-point for several hundred men to fire in 
squads at such a target as it passes their front, and 
it would have a very spectacular effect ; the num- 
ber and value of the hits for each group of, say, 
fifty men would be marked at the end of each 
" run." Such a target would surely be of value, but 
it would cost a good deal to work, and the idea 
could not be tried unless there was a certainty that 
men vi'ould be forthcoming to make use of it. 

A feature of miniature rifle ranges at most places 
of popular amusement is the ^'Jungle," and although 
it is a fashion with target-shots to decry the value 

4 



34 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

of practice at the "jungle," I take leave to differ, 
considering practice of the kind to afford most 
valuable instruction in practical rifle shooting. 

The "jungle" consists of a stage representing 
rough ground across which run mechanical rabbits, 
tigers, &c. When struck, the animals fall over. 

A good form of practice is to select two out of the 
rifles provided, which are sighted alike, and to use 
them alternately, having an attendant to load. One 
should endeavour to get a certain number of rabbits 
without letting one pass unshot at. This is quick 
practice, and two men may have a good match at, 
say, fifty rabbits to see who can knock over that 
number first. 

It is usually possible to make an arrangement 
with the owner of a "jungle" by which one can 
bring his own rifle and fire at so much per hour 
during slack times. The plan is cheaper than 
paying the proprietor so much per shot, and is at 
once cheaper and easier than fitting up a private 
"jungle." 

Most repeating '22 calibre rifles are too powerful 
for use at such a range, as they take long or medium 
•22 calibre cartridges, which knock the rabbits about. 
The usual jungle ammunition is the short "22 calibre 
cartridge, or even "22 bulleted caps. 



CHAPTER in 

THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 

MOST moving targets are representations of a 
"running deer," a wild boar, or a man, and 
I shall now proceed to describe the "deer" in use 
at Wimbledon, and latterly at Bisley. I believe it to 
have been one of the first targets ever used at a 
National Rifle Association meeting, and it remains, 
with slight modifications, the best of its kind. 

The cartoon by Sir Edwin Landseer, for the 
"stag's" outline, is hung, framed, in the National 
Rifle Association's offices, and the N.R.A. might use 
it as a fitting heading to certificates of efficiency at 
moving targets. 

I have an idea that Landseer also used this 
drawing in his picture of a stag chased by a deer- 
hound. I certainly seem to recollect such a picture 
in coloured crayons, the hound galloping along with 
lifted head, preparatory to springing at the deer's 
throat. 

The Bisley arrangement of this target is as 
follows : — 

35 



36 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

A line of small-gauge rails is laid with a dip 
in the middle of the track. There is a straight run 
at either end of the track, and a set of stop-buffers 
at each finish. A light trolley runs upon these rails, 
and the straight finish at either end is so calculated 
that the trolley naturally slows up to a stop as it 
reaches the buffers. A low mound, the whole length 
of the "run," protects the trolley and its wheels from 
being hit from the firing point. 

The trolley is started by men at either end of the 
track, and their push, added to its own momentum, 
is sufficient to run it up the further rise. 

The "stag" is mounted on a turn-table, on the 
trolley, and the "run" consists of about twenty 
yards, at the rate of twelve miles an hour, a " five- 
minute gait," as we trotting men call it, too slow 
for a frightened deer, but about the speed at which 
the stags, at the tail end of the herd, canter past in 
a deer drive before the first shot has been fired. 

The men at either end of the track mark the 
position of the hits on the " dummy " deer (de- 
scribed later), and obliterate on the " stag " any hits 
which have been made. They then turn the " stag " 
on its turn-table, and, when signalled to do so, send 
it off on the return run. 

The Bisley " deer " runs in front of the face of a 
high bank ; a similar bank, but in this case on 
the near side of the rails, serves to protect the 
markers, who stand in the level parts of the track. 
As a further precaution, a screen made of railway 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 37 

sleepers set on end is built across the track where 
it begins to fall from the level at either end. The 
opening in these screens is just sufficient to let the 
trolley and "stag" run through. The "stag" is 
only some two inches thick, and there is only just 
clearance room allowed, so that there is no risk 
of the markers being hit. Finally, a danger post is 
placed just below the screens on each descent, 
and a fine of ten shillings is imposed on every 
shot fired except when the " stag " is between 
these posts. 

The marking is managed as follows. A dummy 
stag surmounts the bank at each end of the run. 
On the " stag's " arrival at either end of his run one 
marker obliterates the hit (or hits, in case of a 
right and left shot) on the " stag " by covering them 
with a paper patch, while another signals them by 
means of a rod, with which he points out the hits 
on the dummy stag on his side of the run. 

The original " stag " was made of iron and carried 
an eight-inch diameter circle incised round the 
place where " the heart " was supposed to be. A 
hypercritical mind might have objected that this 
was a generous measure, and that stags carry their 
heart lower and more forward than the position 
indicated by this circle. 

The circle represented the bullseye, and a hit 
within it was marked four points. The circle was 
not, of course, visible from the firing point. 

Other incised lines divided the neck from the 



38 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

shoulder, and the forelegs from the body. This 
" inner " space, counting three points, was com- 
pleted by a vertical line set some two inches behind 
the bull in such a way that the "inner" area was 
shaped rather like a round cheese of which a third 
had been cut vertically away. 

Another vertical line dividing the body just 
forward of the stifle, one cutting off the hind legs 
at the stifle, and one cutting off the tail, completed 
the divisions of the stag. An " outer," counting 
two, was allowed for a hit on the legs, neck, or 
tail, or the middle of the deer — between the two 
vertical lines. There was no "magpie" division 
then. The remainder of the body— "the haunch" 
— not only counted nothing towards the score, but 
was penalised by a fine of half a crown for each 
hit recorded upon it. 

The entire surface of the iron target was coloured 
a rusty brown with distemper-paint, and a dab of 
the paint obliterated the mark of the bullet so soon 
as the scorer had noted it. This was not the best 
possible method of obliterating a hit, for distemper- 
paint requires some time in which to dry, and until 
the new spot had dried it was of a darker colour 
than the remainder of the carcase. Hence, if several 
shots were placed on or near the bull and painted 
over, the deer would be running with a visibly 
darker patch over his heart, a great help to whoever 
chanced to take his shots at such a time. 

The dummy stags, for marking, were similarly 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 39 

divided, but were painted white with black divisions, 
and a black bullseye. Hits were signalled by means 
of coloured discs mounted on the marking poles. 
A white disc, to show against the black bullseye, 
signalled''!?//// — 4"; a red one signalled "///;/dr — 
3 " ; an " Outer — 2 " was shown by a black disc ; 
while the " Hminch — fine 2s. 6d.," was marked by a 
black cross. 

An iron stag did well enough against the soft lead 
bullets driven by black powder which were used at 
that time, although I have known it almost knocked 
off the rails by a shot from an elephant gun. After 
a while, however, it became sadly battered and a 
steel deer took its place. Shooting was increasing 
in accuracy and the steel stag's heart now only 
measured six inches in diameter, of course, as before, 
indicated by an incised wire in such a way as to be 
invisible from the firing point. 

But presently the steel stag had to follow his iron 
predecessor, nickel-coated, small-bore bullets driven 
by smokeless powder having made him a source of 
danger through their liability to fly off at an angle 
after impact. The third and last kind of deer, 
therefore, consists of canvas stretched on a frame. 
He has also, more's the pity, lost his horns. 

The canvas stag is, curiously enough, harder to 
hit and to make a high score on. A lead bullet, 
especially if made with a very hollow point, made 
a very big splash on striking the iron target, even 
more so if it happened to impinge on one of the 



40 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

rivets in it. Every shot which touches the bullseye 
hne counts a bull, and thus a number of shots which 
would miss the canvas bull splashed well within the 
circle on the iron or steel one. On those targets, 
again, one both saw and heard one's bullet im- 
mediately after impact — an immense aid when firing 
double shots at the running deer. With the canvas 
"stag" you cannot see a hit, especially with a 
small-bore bullet, and while you do see a cloud 
of dust, it is not always possible to decide if this 
has been flung up by a miss in front or by 
a bullet which has pierced the canvas and im- 
bedded itself in the bank behind. One's first shot 
is, for this reason, no help in judging where to 
aim the second, for the only certainty obtainable 
comes from the marker's signal at the end of each 
run. At a stationary target one can hear the bullet 
go through the canvas at short ranges, but the 
rumble of the trolley drowns this sound in the 
case of the running deer. 

The colour of the original Wimbledon deer was 
so uncertain against the background that several of 
us asked to have it altered so as to more closely 
resemble the hue of the natural animal, and be more 
of a contrast to its environment. When this was 
done the running deer was as perfect an artificial 
target as could be devised, and it was a distinct 
misfortune when improved modern weapons made 
the metal animal unsafe. Both stags, the steel 
and the iron, are now in honourable retirement 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 41 

as ornaments in front of the N.R.A. offices, and ttie 
large dents caused by the elephant gun may be seen 
upon the latter. 

The canvas stag has been improved by the 
addition of an extra division, "the magpie." The 
value of a "bull" has not been raised to the usual 
five of a fixed target, but remains at four. An 
"inner" ring is drawn round the bull, with a 
i2-in. diameter, and counts three ; the remainder 
of the old " inner " (but with the vertical line 
convex) is thus the " magpie," value two, and the 
old " outer " is reduced to score only one point. 
It is rather a pity that the divisions do not have 
the same values as on the stationary targets, as 
when a score is published it does not correspond 
with the fixed target scores ; for instance, a highest 
possible score of seven shots at the latter counts 
thirty-five points, whereas if a seven-shot highest 
possible score were made at the " deer " it would 
only count twenty-eight points, equal to an average 
of mere "inners" at a fixed target ; and I have con- 
sequently known uncomplimentary remarks made 
on a good score at the running deer by people who 
did not know of this discrepancy. 

The old target was once, for a few days, fitted with 
a crank arrangement on the front axle intended to 
represent the galloping motion of a running deer, 
but this was abandoned as it got out of order and 
tended to make the deer run off the rails. This 
objection would not apply to the lighter canvas 



42 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

stag, as it was the top-heavy weight of the iron 
deer which caused it to run off the rails when 
swayed by the crank. Such a crank, on one or 
both wheels, would be an improvement on a 
private "running deer" when the additional cost 
was no object. It would be still better to secure 
the galloping movement by an excentric instead 
of a crank, as it would tend less to jerk it off 
the rails. 

I consider that the outstretched fore-legs of the 
N.R.A. deer are wrong. They afford a steady point 
at which to aim, whereas the motion of a live deer's 
legs is the reverse, and the contrast would utterly dis- 
concert any one whose practice had been confined 
to the " stag," whose fore-legs give a point to aim 
at. I should have the fore-legs in the position which 
they would occupy were he rising at a fence, tucked 
up out of the way, if they cannot be made to move 
like those of a live deer galloping. 

A live stag, especially if he has big horns, carries 
his head as steadily as possible when running. 
He gallops without moving his neck muscles, which 
are as rigid as those of a man who, in order to carry 
a heavy load on his head, walks from his hips. If you 
watch a heavy stag galloping, the top of his horns 
can be seen to move in as steady a line as the head of 
a man on a bicycle, but his entire body, from the 
neck downward, is in constant undulating movement. 
The neck bends and undulates under the steady 
head much like the constant swaying of a flag from 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 43 

the staff of a moving river steamer. The end of the 
nose, or rather in front of it, is, therefore, a legiti- 
mate point of aim when firing at an artificial 
running deer target, and if the head and neck 
are stretched forward in a natural position aiming 
for the nose affords good practice for the real 
animal. When the head lis stretching forward 
naturally, in a hard gallop, a line drawn through 
the eye to the corner of the mouth should be 
almost horizontal ; when very " done," a stag's nose 
points lower. 

With the modern small-bore rifle and smokeless 
powder it is unnecessary to make the long speed 
allowance of earlier days. An aim only just in 
front of the chest allows enough for the speed at 
which the Bisley running deer moves, when using 
a Lee-Metford or Mannlicher or Mauser. The new 
weapons and ammunition have thus minimised the 
risk of shooting too far back, and so making a 
haunch, which was a danger in the old days of 
comparatively slow big-bore rifles. A "shot-and- 
ball gun," owing to the large bore and small charge, 
"goes up" very slowly to the "stag." The use of 
such a weapon is, consequently, liable to score 
"haunches," unless you aim very forward. 

When I speak of aiming at the end of a fore- 
foot, or the deer's nose, in order to make a bull's- 
eye, it must be understood that the rifle needs 
to be sighted appropriately for an aim at the nose 
or toe to be the proper elevation to score a bull's- 



44 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

eye, i.e., some 6 in. below the nose or above the toe 
at a range of loo yards. 

There is a " Running Man " target at Bisley as 
well as a " Running Deer." In the early days, when 
the man was made of metal, he carried a rifle at the 
trail. Shooters soon found out that if one put up the 
200 yards sight, to allow for aiming so low, the end 
of the "man's" rifle, which projected well in front 
of him, was just the right measure for the allowance 
necessary to make a bull's-eye with the regulation 
Martini rifle. There was, consequently, much 
lamentation when some one shot off the end of 
the running man's rifle and spoiled it as an 
" allowance measure ! " 

The " Running Man " is harder to hit than the 
" deer," because he is not so deep through his chest 
(horizontally), than the deer's " inner." A shot 
scoring a " magpie," or even a far-back " inner," on 
the deer would, therefore, be a miss on the man. 
The man has no " magpie," but his " outer " counts 
two points. 

By the Way, this greater difficulty in hitting a 
vertical than a horizontal target, when it is moving 
across the line of fire, shows that if a soldier has to 
sprint across the line of fire, it is safer for him to 
keep as upright as possible. 

A further difficulty with the man arises from 
this " narrowness," and the distance between the 
rails and the back stop-butt. The dust-spurt knocked 
up by a miss in front shows itself behind him, just 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 45 

as though the fault had lain in not making enough 
allowance in front. It is thus very difficult to 
estimate the errors in one's speed allowance, and 
beginners will do well to learn "allowance" on 
the stag before they proceed to the "man." 

The best practice of all is to fire a "right and 
left" at man and deer, the targets being simul- 
taneously started from opposite ends of the ground, 
but it should be borne in mind that this variation 
of the programme is not without risk to the 
markers, as they might get caught between the 
trolleys which carry the targets. 

These targets may be shot at from two positions 
— when standing erect, and when sitting with an 
elbow on either knee, the feet being set rather wide 
apart. I saw a " target shot " try shooting in the 
prone position at the deer once ! The sitting 
position is a good one for firing at real deer, 
particularly when they are standing or moving 
at a fairly regular and not very rapid rate, and not 
too close to you. It is certainly an effective position 
for hitting the " running deer " or " running man " 
targets if the marksman happens to be suitably 
built for that position. 

Prepare to shoot at these targets by standing or 
sitting so as to face rather towards the direction to 
which they run, and not that from which they 
appear, so as to be in the easier position at the 
moment the rifle is fired. 

If you are firing at these targets in a prize com- 



46 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

petition, one shot at a time, it is easier to fire when 
the man or deer is on the rise at the end of the run, 
for the target is then moving less rapidly. For 
practice in practical shooting, you should learn 
to take, your shot as soon as possible after the 
target has passed the danger post. 

When the competition allows two shots to each 
run, fire the first on the descent and the second on 
the rise. At the first shot the target is moving more 
rapidly and descending, at the second it is ascending 
and moving more slowly. Therefore aim low and 
forward for the first shot, and higher and not so 
much forward with the second barrel. Do not 
check your swing after the first discharge, but con- 
tinue to follow the "deer" with the rifle until you 
have fired the second shot. This applies equally to 
double-barrel rifles or repeating rifles of the Colt or 
Winchester pattern. With most military pattern 
repeaters you have to take down the rifle from 
your shoulder after each shot-^a great fault, in 
my opinion. 

The point at which to aim with a '303 or smaller 
calibre is about the junction between the foreleg 
and chest for the first shot ; half-way up the chest 
is the point for the second. 

It is important to remember that your object, if 
prize shooting at the Bisley running deer, is to hit 
the bullseye, but that in firing at a live stag it is 
better to strike him in the shoulder — say four inches 
in front of the heart. Unless, therefore, you are 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 47 

shooting at the running target for prizes, treat it as 
though it were the real beast, and shoot for the 
shoulder or lower part of the neck, instead of trying 
for the bullseye. At the " running deer," a hit a 
little too far back counts "an inner, three" (and 
may win you a prize) ; at a real deer it " counts " the 
rest of the day wasted tracking a wounded stag, and 
perhaps losing him eventually "over the march." 

At the "running man," just at the edge of his 
chest, where it is most prominent, is the spot to aim 
for making bulls, and- — -but I know nothing about 
man-killing — also, I suppose, the best place for 
stopping a real man. 

The above hints for shooting at the Bisley running 
targets embody the lessons of my own experience. 
Quicken shots will do well to aim a trifle further 
back than the points indicated by me ; slower shots 
will aim a fraction forward. 

Entries are a shilling a shot in " pool shooting " ; 
the entrance money is divided between the winners, 
less the N.R.A.'s percentage, deducted for range 
expenses. If a man can shoot fairly well — say, 
make a bullseye on the deer once in four shots and 
on the man once in eight shots — he can about pay 
expenses, unless he is careless and gets himself fined 
for " haunches " on the deer, or for firing the 
wrong side of the danger posts. There are also 
prizes at 2s. 6d. entrance fee for from four to 
eight shots each. 

It seems to me a pity that the donors of prizes at 



48 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

Bisley so seldom offer prizes for the '' running man " 
or " deer." I believe that a really good series of 
prizes, perhaps with the addition of a challenge cup 
for the highest score, would do more towards 
encouraging practical shooting than the endless 
prizes offered for shooting at stationary targets. A 
good competition might be made out of six shots 
at the man and an equal number at the deer. 

I have already mentioned the sitting or standing 
positions as the best for these targets. They are, 
indeed, the only two which are of much use. 
Kneeling is a cramped position, and one can't 
" swing " well in it. 

In the sitting position, one may rest both elbows 
on the knees, or the left elbow only, on the left knee, 
or vice versa for a left-handed man. The choice 
really remains one of build, for a short, stout man 
cannot rest both elbows on his knees. The bank at 
the Bisley firing point gives a further choice of atti- 
tude, since you can take up a position which lets the 
feet rest on a lower level than that on which you are 
seated. I personally prefer the use of both knees, 
and to have my feet slightly lower than where I sit. 
The position should always face towards the point 
at which the target is to disappear, and this also 
varies according as the " run " is to the right or 
left. A right-handed man, for instance, needs to 
sit rather more towards the right for a right- 
handed "run" of the "stag," since the "run" 
will be far more difficult to swing to a right-hand 



THE RUNNING DEER TARGET 49 

man than to a left-hand. In sitting, more " allow- 
ance" must be made than when shooting in the 
standing position, owing to the swing of the arms 
and body being hampered. Do not get into the 
trick of aiming at a spot on the butt and shooting 
when the "stag" arrives there. It is no use for 
winning prizes, and also ruins your shooting. 



CHAPTER IV 

ROOK AND RABBIT SHOOTING 

Blue Hare Driving. 

BLUE hare drives, in Scotland, may afford good 
practice for rook rifles. Hares always prefer 
to run uphill. The beaters, therefore, walk the lower 
grounds, and the guns are lined on the ridges. 
Men usually carry shot-guns on these drives, but 
the lolloping progress of an old blue hare, and his 
way of taking an occasional look round while he 
sits up on his hind legs, always makes me feel that 
the shot-gun is too easy a weapon to use upon him. 
He is a good mark for a rook rifle, however, and if 
the shooter uses ordinary caution in not firing 
towards the line of beaters there is not much danger 
in the use of a rifle. The great point is to use small 
charges, and not to use a powerful rifle. 

Rook Shooting. 

Shooting rooks with a rifle is good enough 
practice, but even with the weakest charge and 

5° 



ROOK AND RABBIT SHOOTING 51 

weapons of the smallest calibre, I am never free of 
fears as to where a bullet may fall. 

Any of the small rifles, mentioned in the opening 
chapter as suitable for a beginner, are suitable for 
rook shooting, and the Lyman peep hind-sight is 
particularly good in this kind of shooting. The old 
birds usually sail round and round, well up in the 
air. They afford good practice for flying shots. 

Rabbit Shooting. 

Rabbits are the only kind of living animal at 
which most people are likely to have an opportunity 
of using a rifle, unless it be an odd day's shooting 
at the rooks. And as the poor rabbit is called 
vermin, which has to be " kept down," he is cer- 
tainly better off when stalked by a good rifle shot 
than when slowly strangling to death in a snare, or 
suffering for hours with a torn and broken leg in a 
trap. By the way, I have seen it recommended in a 
newspaper to wrap a few strands of copper wire 
round the lower part of the jaws of a steel trap, so 
that it cannot quite close when sprung, and holds, 
without breaking, a rabbit's leg. Why cannot there 
be some way to strangle him at once in a snare, 
instead of letting him sit there with bloodshot eyes 
staring out of his head as he slowly suffocates to 
death. 

When shooting rabbits with a rifle, always use a 
weapon which will kill outright. This requires 
thought on two points. Too small a calibre, means 



52 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

that the rabbit is not killed outright unless he 
happens to be hit in the brain. On the other 
hand, rabbits are usually shot in localities where a 
large calibre or heavy charge may be dangerous, 
should a bullet go astray or glance aside from a 
stone. A rabbit struck by a bullet of insufficient 
size will go off and die slowly ; and even if hit 
through the heart, he can usually wriggle into a 
hole. 

The whole object of a shooter should be to kill 
his game as rapidly and painlessly as possible, 
whatever its size and kind. It should be a rule 
never to go on till you have accounted for what 
you have shot at, as dead, or gone away clean 
missed. A wounded animal ought always to be 
followed up and killed if possible. Unfortunately 
it is only too common to hear men say, " Let's get 
on ! There's no use in looking any longer ! " when 
the finding of a wounded animal or bird proves at 
all troublesome. 

A "22 cal., even when shooting the long cartridge, 
is not quite big enough to make sure of killing a 
rabbit outright. I prefer a larger calibre with a 
small charge and a hollow bullet. The small charge, 
of course, makes the judging of distance more 
difficult ; but this is good practice, and it is far 
better to miss a few shots than to wound without 
killing. 

The "22 automatic Winchester is perhaps an 
admissible weapon against rabbits, as, if quick, 



ROOK AND RABBIT SHOOTING 53 

one can give a wounded animal a second shot 
before he can wriggle away into his hole. Given 
such ground as a deer forest, where flying bullets 
would not be dangerous, it would be pretty practice 
to ferret rabbits and shoot them with this weapon 
as they bolted from their holes. 



CHAPTER V 



DEERSTALKING 



THIS book is not intended to instruct in deer- 
stalking any more than it is a manual of 
instruction in shooting at regulation targets. Deer- 
stalking is, however, one form of practical shooting 
with the rifle. For this reason I propose to give 
a series of hints derived from personal experience 
at deer, 

I have a preference for a double-barrel rifle. 
I have killed nearly all my deer with a double 
barrel, and may be prejudiced for this reason, but 
I certainly consider that a double-barrelled rifle 
balances better than most single barrels, and that it 
also comes up to the shoulder more level, without 
the tendency to cant to one side, which is the fault 
of some modern sporting adaptations of military 
rifles. My second reason for the preference is that 
most very small bore patterns are furnished with 
sights which are raised on stalks — to my mind an 
awkward arrangement ; but I have seen some 

54 



DEERSTALKING 55 

wonderfully neat, well-balanced, handy, and short 
single barrels, especially the new short Mauser 
made for chamois shooting. 

My continental experience has led me to like a 
sling on a rifle. It is a great convenience, as 
leaving the hands free for a climb or to push 
through thick cover, while it rests the arms if one 
can sling the rifle during a long tramp, or on the 
way to or home from the ground. 

The bottom of the "V" of the hind-sight on a deer- 
stalking rifle should not lie too close to the barrel, 
nor yet be too much raised from it. A " V " which is 
close down on the barrel is difficult to align, and the 
mirage which forms on a barrel in hot weather, or 
after several shots have been fired in quick succes- 
sion, also obscures a low sight. 

For the same reason, and also to prevent a glare 
when in sunlight, the top rib of the rifle should be 
chequered or otherwise roughed, 

I imagine that it would be advantageous to paint 
the whole metal work except the sights a dull grey, 
if a man did not mind spoiling the appearance of 
his weapon, as it would prevent the glint from the 
weapon frightening deer. 

The front-sight should be large and dead-white in 
colour. 

Most rifles are sent out from the makers with too 
small front-sights, and these are consequently hard 
to find in a poor light. The great thing for deer- 
stalking is to have a front-sight which enables one 



56 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

to obtain an approximately true alignment instan- 
taneously, rather than one for extremely accurate 
aim when time is no object and the light is perfect. 
Most deer are shot in a bad light, early morning 
or late in the afternoon, so that too fine sights 
are a mistake. 

Some deerstalkers like to say that they have killed 
so many stags with so many shots, and to endeavour 
to miss as few shots as possible is legitimate. It is 
not, however, either sportsmanlike, nor good for one's 
reputation as a "shot," to buy such a boast at the 
price of never firing at a stag when the shot is not 
a "standing shot," and a very easy one. It would 
probably surprise a good many people to learn 
how few frequenters of deer forests have ever killed 
a stag moving even at a walk, while fewer still are 
those lessees who can kill a right and left when the 
stags are racing past at the speed of a racehorse and 
bounding into the air, or who have even attempted 
to do so. A stag racing past you, down hill, and at 
a distance of, say, 200 yards, needs an allowance of 
over a length and a half to two lengths to bring 
him down with an express rifle. The newest high- 
power small-bore rifles have reduced this allowance. 
But always remember that the point aimed is where 
the stag's shoulder will be at the moment when he 
is struck, not the position of that shoulder at the 
moment of firing. For instance, if the stag is 
springing off his hind-legs as you fire at the level 
of his shoulders, he will jump over your bullet. 



DEERSTALKING 57 

If he is landing on his fore-legs, the same aim 
will shoot over him. If he is on the upward 
part of his bound, shoot high ; if landing from 
his spring, aim low. I like, if possible, to shoot 
at running deer at the moment when they are 
landing over a burn. By watching how the leading 
hinds land in jumping a burn or other obstacle 
in the course, you can often take each stag as he 
follows at the same place. If a stag drops, the rest 
often hesitate and give you a good chance. 

The spot to hit is the shoulder, well forward, and 
not the heart. The stag's heart is perhaps three 
inches in diameter — an uncertain mark to hit in a 
galloping beast or at a long range. Very little above 
or below the heart may result in your losing him. 
At best, he will need a second shot, when you 
ought to be shooting at a fresh beast. 

The shoulder offers a far larger mark in the first 
place. And secondly, a stag hit in the shoulder by 
a solid bullet, or one which does not expand too 
readily, drops at once and is done with. Such a 
wound pierces his lungs and disables one or both 
shoulders. A stag with "a body hit" (I omit the 
rather coarse term used by stalkers) can go far, much 
faster than a man can follow him, and keeps on going; 
but one with broken shoulders can only kick himself 
along for a few yards. 

I may add a hint as to the choice of one's stags. 
When stalking deer, or watchmg the approach of 
a driven herd, try to form a mental picture of the 



58 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

different stags worth shooting. Commit to memory 
the number of stags in the herd, the shape of each 
one's horns, number of points, colour, or other 
distinguishing particulars. You will thus avoid the 
risk of emptying your rifle at smaller beasts, when 
the large stags are still to come into range^a 
common accident with inexperienced men, who 
are naturally flurried at the great moment, and 
blaze at everything with horns. 

From the shooter's point of view, the conclusion 
of a successful stalk or drive ought to see the big 
" heads " on the ground. If, however, your object 
in shooting is to raise one stock of good "heads" and 
heavy bodies in the forest, the stags to shoot are 
of course the bad heads, and old or injured beasts. 
A man who is improving his stud does not sell off 
his best horses. 

If a stag, when hit, claps in his tail, or spurts 
in a crouching attitude with outstretched neck, he 
is finished and will not go far. You can safely 
leave him and take another. 

My personal idea about sights for a stalking rifle 
is that these weapons should only have one hind- 
sight, a fixed sight for one hnndred yards, and that 
the aim should be a little high or a little low, as 
you estimate the distance to be beyond or below 
that standard. " Judge the range and aim high or 
low" is better and quicker than raising leaves, and 
more accurate than changing the amount of fore- 
sight taken. 



DEERSTALKING 59 

My great objection to having a rifle fitted with 
leaves adjusted to various ranges is their HabiHty 
to get inadvertently raised when one has to run or 
crawl. If it, then, happens that you have to take 
a quick shot, you may easily miss a stag, thanks 
to having the two hundred yards sight up and 
noticing it too late. Or, if you do notice it, there 
may not be time to shut it down and take your shot 
as well. An adjustable telescopic sight may be 
useful for chamois or antelope, but at the short 
range at which Scotch deer are shot there should 
be no need of one. 

Stalking rifles should always be provided with a 
safety bolt, and one which will not get shifted in 
crawling. 

A very large white bead, to slip over or in front of 
the ordinary front-sight, is useful, in case you need 
to shoot at a wounded deer after the light has failed. 
When it has grown very dark, also, it is frequently 
of service to remember that you can sometimes get 
an aim by drawing a bead against the sky, and 
then lowering your rifle upon the stag. 

Before leaving a dropped deer which appears 
dead, always make sure that this is so by sticking 
him or putting a bullet through his neck. (A shot in 
the brain may spoil his head for stuffing.) A stag 
is often only stunned by a shot, and it is both a 
source of vexation and needless cruelty to pass on 
only to find the beast gone when you return. If 
a stag falls instantly, he may be only stunned ; if 
he gradually collapses he is probably finished. 



6o PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

Cartridges should be carried in some way which 
prevents their ratthng against each other, but does 
not hinder their easy extraction from the case. 
Most cartridge cases or belts require a lot of tugging 
or unbuttoning before it is possible to draw out the 
cartridges. A useful habit is to cause your tailor 
to furnish the lining of your right-hand pocket with 
a few compartments of a size to take one cartridge 
each, and tight enough to hold them during a crawl 
without making it difficult to draw one out whatever 
the position in which you chance to be at the 
moment of needing so to do. Take enough cart- 
ridges, you may need them all. 

Be particular to choose a knife of which the blade 
is both long and wide enough to do its work 
properly. It is sickening to. see a deer tortured 
because a man will not trouble to provide himself 
with a suitable knife. Always be sure that a beast 
is quite dead before proceeding to gralloch him, i.e., 
remove his inside. One way of determining this 
is to see if he flinches when you touch his eyeball 
with a finger. Gralloching should be done as 
soon as a stag is dead, as delay causes the meat 
to deteriorate. 

It is sometimes useful to fire in a sitting posture, 
with one or both elbows resting on the knees, as 
described at length in the chapter on the Bisley 
" Running Deer." It is a good position for a long 
running shot, over two hundred yards say, when it 
is often difficult to trust the steadiness of one's 



DEERSTALKING 6i 

arms without some support. It is particularly 
useful for a shot across a ravine when a big wind 
is blowing. But while the position is serviceable 
when the mark is not moving at a very high speed, 
you will find it impossible for snap-shooting at live 
deer running hard or jumping into the air. 

In crawling up to a deer, if it is at all down hill, 
and most stalks are so, it is easier to go feet fore- 
most, as the blood does not rush to one's head. 
I always leave my stalker behind and go on by 
myself ; a deer does not see one man so easily as 
two, and you can get closer by yourself ; also there 
is no use having the stalker near you, and he will 
only flurry you by whispering all sorts of dis- 
tracting things just as you need all your attention. 
For instance, when I was a boy, and had only shot 
a few stags, a stalker whispered to me, " Be sure 
not to miss, he is the biggest stag in the forest." 
The result may be imagined. Also if you miss, 
the stalker is almost sure to say " Over," even if 
you have missed by six inches too low. When 
approaching deer feet foremost, the back position 
is the easiest to shoot from. There are many forms 
of this, but the one I adopt, and which is suitable for 
any one not stout or short-necked, is as follows. 
I turn on my right side, and rest the rifle on the 
outside of my left knee, my left leg crossing my 
right. The left hand either steadies the butt of the 
rifle or holds the fore-end against the left knee. 
This position also enables you to spring to your 



62 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

feet quickly, or to a sitting position for your second 
barrel as the deer gallop off. If you shoot in the 
prone position, be sure to let your legs slope well to 
the left. 

In connection with ''wait till he rises" I have 
heard the following anecdote : — 

A "gun" was sent out with a stalker, who, after 
taking him a long crawl, pulled the rifle out of its 
cover, took off the stops (it was a double barrel), 
and whispered the usual formula, "He is lying 
down, wait till he rises." " Lying down, is he ? ". 
said the "gun." "I'll soon get him out of that!" 
And, standing up in full sight of the deer, he, to 
the stalker's intense horror, fired his right barrel 
into the air. The stag was up and off in a twinkling, 
the "gun" giving him the second barrel and rolling 
him over like a rabbit. 

It is curious how close deer will lie. As I finished 
the above paragraph I went out to sight a rifle. 
Close to where I stood was a small patch of nettles 
(young ones), none of them a foot high, the patch 
about ten by twenty yards. After I had fired twenty 
or thirty shots from a '25 cal. rifle, a fallow deer 
fawn jumped up in the nettles and made off. I 
stepped to where he had been lying. It was 
eight yards 1 He must have been lying in full view 
from where I stood, but as I had not looked in his 
direction he thought it best, like Brer Rabbit, to 
■"■lie low." 
: It is well to remember that a deer rises by first 



DEERSTALKING 63 

raising his hind quarters and then his fore-hand 
(the reverse to a horse). If you want to "wait till 
he rises," aim just above his withers, give a low 
whistle, and fire just as his withers come up. 

It is much more satisfactory and interesting to 
learn to stalk deer oneself, without the stalker, as soon 
as one gets to know the ground, and there is no 
danger of inadvertently crossing the march to one's 
neighbour's ground. 

You can first begin leaving the stalker the last few 
yards of the stalk, gradually getting to do all the 
work yourself. 

It is not very safe to be absolutely alone in a 
forest in case of a broken leg, or getting into a burn, 
or otherwise needing help. A broken leg from a 
slip might, for instance, necessitate one's stopping out 
all night or until a search party could find one. 

Old foresters have a lot of traditions for stalking, 
and are apt to want to go through the whole routine, 
whereas there are circumstances where a lot of it 
may be cut out. For instance, with the setting sun 
low and full in the stag's eye, a crawl can be made 
towards him (if straight towards him and on level 
ground) on perfectly exposed ground. Also, the 
traditional remark, " wait till he rises," is often 
better ignored. A stag may lie in such a way as 
to offer a good broadside shot, and you can make 
more certain of him by taking a steady shot when 
you are ready than by waiting an indefinite time, 
getting cold and perhaps "stag fever," and then 



64 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

seeing him rise when you least expect it and speed 
away with his tail towards you. Also be suspicious 
of too long a " spy " for deer ; it may only be a 
lazy way of passing the time. Once I caught two 
stalkers (who did not think I understood any Gaelic), 
" spying " the oats in each other's crofts, and com- 
paring their ripeness, when they were supposed to 
be spying for deer. 

The manner of weighing deer is unsatisfactory 
for the purpose of a comparison. They are weighed, 
some with more, some with less, of the inside taken 
out. Some forests use eight pounds to the stone, 
others fourteen pounds. A uniform custom should 
be adopted. I believe a stag, weighed as he falls, 
at fourteen pounds to the stone, would weigh the 
same number of stones as a gralloched beast which 
was weighed at eight pounds to the stone. 



CHAPTER VI 



DEER DRIVING 



r 



HIS is an unfortunate combination of words to 
describe moving deer towards the shooteis. 

It has led to the " Driving deer into a narrow 
place where they have no escape " style of abuse 
of those who indulge in this form of sport. If 
the writers of such nonsense tried themselves to 
drive deer, they would find how impossible it is. 
Deer will not be driven ; if they think they are 
being forced they will break back, however thick the 
beaters are. 

The only way to force deer up to the guns is to 
make them think you w^ant them to go in the 
opposite direction. 

Instead of being called Deer Driving it ought to 
be called (coining a word in the German manner) 
Deceiving-deer-into-going-where-you-want-them-to. 

Deer prefer to go up wind, they prefer to climb, 
when climbing they prefer to climb on the best 

6 ^5 



66 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

going. In crossing a ridge they prefer crossing the 
lowest part. In crossing a river they go for the 
fords, they do not like crossing human tracks. 

Now it is impossible to humour them in all 
things. For instance, deer prefer to go up w^ind, so 
that they can smell if there is any danger in front. 
If you post the "guns" tip wind, the deer will 
smell them and break back ; you must post your 
guns as "near the wind" as possible without being 
actually "in the wind." I have even known putting 
the guns behind the beaters, and letting the deer 
break back on them, succeed. The beaters should 
not try to hurry the deer, or force them too much. 
If deer look like coming back, the beaters towards 
whom they seem likely to break had much better 
duck and creep about than shout and wave their 
arms ; as soon as beaters begin shouting and 
running, it is all up, the deer are sure to go back 
through them. 

It is important to vary the direction ill which a 
beat is driven ; if it has been successful in one way, 
that is just the reason for not doing it that way next 
time. There is sure to be an old hind who led the 
former drive and remembers where the danger lay. 

It seems a brutal thing to do, but this hind ought 
to be shot if possible ; an old hind who has been in 
several drives gets too clever and needs killing off. 

The big stags generally come last, and at the least 
suspicion of danger break back. Most of my big 
stags have been shot when breaking back through 



DEER DRIVING (i^ 

(he beaters, I preferring to walk with the beaters to 
being posted in front. 

There is a very effective combination of stalking 
and driving when two or more "guns" stalk in 
combination with each other ; that is to say, going 
down a beat in line a long way apart, and waiting 
for each other as each stalks deer in front of him 
and turns them to the other "gun." 

It is as well to have an upright short stick, or a 
few stones piled on each other, in line between 
where the "guns" are posted, so that they should 
know in which direction it is dangerous to shoot. 

Also, whilst I do not consider "lappen," as the 
Germans call the small flags on cords, a legitimate 
form of "stop" to prevent deer going where they 
are not wanted, a low stone wall of a few yards 
may be built across gullies down which deer might 
otherwise slip away unseen by the guns on either 
side. 

If they are moving without being pressed, deer 
will turn out of the gully rather than jump the wall, 
even if it is only three feet high, and so offer a shot 
to one of the guns. 

Of course all these arrangements should be put 
up at least a week before they are needed, so that 
the deer may get used to them. 



CHAPTER VII 



DEER TRACKERS 



THE choice of a dog for tracking wounded deer 
is rather a difficult matter. In the olden days 
in Scotland, as shown by Landseer's and Ansdale's 
pictures, it was the custom to use deerhounds and 
slip them on wounded deer. This was, primarily, 
necessary since the inaccuracy of the old-fashioned 
rifle, as compared with modern ones, often caused 
deer to go away wounded. With modern rifles 
not only is this much more rarely the case, but also 
it would be very inadvisable, (even if the lease of 
many forests- did not forbid it,) to let dogs loose in 
a deer forest. They disturb a large district when 
chasing a wounded deer, and deer hate the smell 
of dogs' tracks. 

The usual plan, nowadays, is to have a dog to track 
the wounded deer silently ; if not quite under con- 
trol, he is led by a lead. 

The best plan, if a deer is hit and cannot for 
any reason be shot again before he gets out of 



DEER TRACKERS 69 

range, is to watch him through your glass, see 
how he is hit, and He perfectly quiet till he has 
gone out of sight or lain down. He will generally 
take a last look back before disappearing. If he 
is "very sick," hit in the middle of the body, it 
is best to leave him alone for half an hour, and 
then by a careful stalk, and avoiding, if possible, 
an approach from the line on which he left you, you 
can generally get another shot at him before he 
rises. If he has a broken leg, especially a fore 
one, or, as I have mentioned elsewhere, the very 
unfortunate wound of a broken jaw, he may go for 
many miles. If, therefore, he is not found when 
stalking up to the last point at which he was seen, 
or is not found lying down in the nearest water, the 
only thing is to lay the dog on his track. By pass- 
ing the hand through the heather or grass one can 
sometimes find blood, or his tracks can be dis- 
covered by the broken stalks, &c. 

I once had a good dog who would not only track 
slowly in front of one without needing a lead, but 
would, if he saw the deer, crouch down almost on a 
"point" and wait for me. He was bought from a 
poacher, who, when the dog was caught, begged for 
his life, as he said he was the best tracker in the 
country. This dog was an ugly little red mongrel 
with a broken tail. 

One never knows what dog will make a good 
tracker. He ought not to be too big or of a con- 
spicuous colour ; a mute running hound might make 



70 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

a good tracker if it were not for his white markings, 
but generally a led hound will not hunt. I have 
had one or two good mongrels, a cross between a 
retriever and a hound, but they are usually too 
black ; this cross is sometimes brindle. 

The best sort of a lead is a harness lead. If led by 
the collar a dog gets wrong in the wind, besides 
making a choking noise when dragging at his 
lead. 

Of course when you get a sight of the wounded 
deer, the tracker should be taken up and the deer 
stalked in the usual way ; never slip the dog at the 
deer. 

Ponies. 

I, personally, do not care for riding the Scotch 
forest ponies ; they are very good for carrying deer, 
but, if you can train him to do the work, a better 
bred pony is much pleasanter to ride than the upright- 
shouldered, stumbling pony usually got in Scotland. 
It is also so much more pleasant to have something 
on which one can canter home, instead of stumping 
along at a cow-like walk. 

There are deer saddles made which, whilst carrying 
a deer well, are not too uncomfortable for riding. 
Don't get one with a join down the middle, unless 
you are a cyclist who enjoys riding on a rail. 

A deer should always be packed with his legs 
and horns slanting back, so that they do not catch 
•against rocks, branches, &c., the head being put 
well on the middle of the saddle. 



DEER TRACKERS 71 

Telescopes and Binoculars. 

This section is not strictly appropriate to a 
book on rifle shooting, but will be found useful 
to deerstalkers. 

It is. important to have a good ''glass" of some 
sort. An ordinary binocular or field glass is very little 
use ; a man with normally good long-sight can see 
almost as well with his naked eyes. What is wanted 
is a good telescope or a Zeiss binocular, or another 
binocular made on the sanie principle. Personally, 
I suppose because I have used one during so many 
years, I prefer a telescope. 

The three things to consider in choosing a tele- 
scope (or, in fact, a binocular) are, good definition, 
lightness and compactness. Many telescopes are 
made of too high power, which means loss of 
" light." What you want is as high a power as can 
be had, compatible with a large aperture ; in using 
a glass with a small aperture it is impossible to see 
well in a bad light. 

By holding the eyepiece some distance from the 
eye one can judge the size of the "stop," or aper- 
ture, without unscrewing the lenses. The telescope 
should have several " draws," so as to shut up in a 
small compass. I prefer an aluminium telescope, 
with brass in the places where the lenses and slides 
screw on. This latter point is very important, and I 
believe is ray own idea, as I have never seen one 
brass in any one else's telescope. Having the 
"screw rings " of brass adds very little to the weight. 



^72 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

and enables one to screw and unscrew the various 
parts for cleaning and wiping, (as when the glass 
gets fogged in wet or misty weather,) without the 
danger of stripping off the thread of the screws. 
I find aluminium screw rings are a constant source 
of worry ; the metal is so soft that, if you screw 
it up in a hurry and do not engage the screw 
correctly, the screw strips, and then either jams or 
cuts itself so that the joint will not hold. This 
also applies to binoculars, which, in my opinion, 
should have all parts which screw made of some 
tougher metal than aluminium. Another advantage 
of having the brass rings on a telescope is that it 
prevents the telescope "sagging" at the joints of 
the various slides. 

With an aluminium telescope you must be careful, 
however, not to step on it. I remember one deer 
drive when I had been looking with my telescope at 
the approaching herd, in order to see which were 
tlie best stags. As the deer got within shot I put 
the telescope down beside me. After a few shots 
fired in the sitting position, what were left of the 
herd rushed past close, compelling me to stand up, 
keep turning to get several shots, my gun-loader 
moving about also. When the shooting was over 
I found that he and I had trampled all over my 
telescope and stamped it flat, so that it was of no 
more use till it had been to the makers. An ordinary 
telescope would have stood the buffeting and been 
little the worse for it. The lightness compensates, 



DEER TRACKERS 73 

however, for the Httle extra care required in use, 
and now that aluminium is so cheap it does not 
matter much if one does occasionally get smashed. 

Draw the telescope out to its full length, then sit 
down and focus it on some object at average 
''spying" distance, say 800 to 1,000 yards. When 
you have found your right focus, make a scratch 
with a pin round the eyepiece draw-tube where it 
enters the first ring. This will leave a silvery line, 
and saves time in future "spying," as when you 
draw your telescope you can at once adjust the 
eyepiece draw-tube to your focus, and so avoid 
fumbling with it after the telescope is to your eye. 

The leather case is preferably made with a 
" bayonet " catch, as that is quicker to close than 
if you have a buckle and tongue ; it is apt to make 
a noise, though, when closed rapidly. Some 
foresters will buckle and unbuckle the telescope 
case endlessly, and it is very fidgeting as well as 
a waste of time. With my telescope, I have cut off 
the buckle and tongue and strung the case reversed 
way on the shoulder strap — that is to say, the strap 
goes under the case instead of above it ; this pre- 
vents it opening unless pulled, and obviates the 
necessity of fastening. If you want to be extra 
particular in point of material, grey leather is best, 
but either brown or black leather, when well stained 
or faded respectively by the weather, is invisible 
enough for all practical purposes. The telescope 
itself is apt to flash in the sun — in fact, I have 



k 



74 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

signalled to the men by flashing the telescope. I 
do not quite see how this can be avoided. If it is 
painted grey with a dead grey, it will not slide 
properly — in fact, polish, which in other words is 
glitter, seems unavoidable. In sunny weather it is 
best, therefore, to be very careful to only move a 
telescope, when out of its case, straight towards 
deer ; if it is put at any angle it will flash and be 
seen at great distances. I have known men take off 
their coats and put the telescope through the sleeve 
for "spying," and others who use a bag made of 
grey material over the telescope. 

In wet weather a telescope, if often drawn, gets 
almost like a squirt, and the glasses get so fogged 
as to become almost useless. There is a substance 
sold by some opticians which, rubbed on the glasses 
and then wiped off as much as possible, leaving a 
very thin film, prevents wet forming on the glass, it 
is called '^Lasin." Rubbing with vaseline is also fairly 
effective. In Russia salt is placed in receptacles of 
paper between double windows in winter to prevent 
moisture fogging the glass, as salt absorbs the 
moisture ; perhaps something of the sort could be 
done for telescopes. After a wet day it is as well 
to unscrew the telescope and leave the various parts 
all night near a fire so as to get thoroughly dry, but 
not anywhere where a housemaid may sweep up the 
"litter." Do not rub the lenses with anything likely 
to scratch them. Use a thin silk handkerchief, or 
thin cambric one ; I prefer the latter. I know a 



DEER TRACKERS 75 

man who carries a piece of chamois leather in a 
Httle tin box for wiping the lenses, but there is 
danger of scratching them, as the leather will some- 
times pick up grit. 

In looking through a telescope it is well to use 
neither e^^e too long at a time, especially if holding 
the other one shut. With a little practice you can 
learn to keep both eyes open and use the telescope 
with alternate eyes. Also I do not like, (if it can 
possibly be avoided,) to use a telescope immediately 
before shooting, as it tires the eyes. There are 
several ways of holding a telescope steadily. (By 
the way, it is curious that not one artist in a 
hundred draws a man holding a telescope to his 
eye properly. They represent it held with both 
hands away from the face with the eyepiece to the 
eye in a way that would make the user of the glass 
poke his own eye out.) The proper way is to put 
the first and second fingers of the nearer hand 
round the eyepiece, and put the thumb along the 
cheek, the little finger against the mouth, and the 
tips of the other fingers touching the nose. In 
this way you shut out external light and avoid 
poking out your eye. 

The lying-down position is the steadiest and least 
conspicuous, and if the glass is drawn and slowly 
pushed forward, taking care to hold it always as 
nearly horizontal as possible and pointing in the 
direction of the deer, it can be used even in full 
sunlight without betraying your presence to the 



76 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

deer by flashing in the sun. Resting against the 
side of a partly raised knee, when lying on the back, 
is also good, especially for watching moving deer. 

A way of " spying " which can only be adopted 
when there is no fear of sun, and when there is no 
danger of deer seeing you, or when they are already 
alarmed and further concealment is useless, is to 
stand up, rest your stick, crook downwards, in the 
sling of your telescope, (the empty case being drawn 
forward), and grasp the end of the telescope and top 
of the stick at the same time with the outstretched 
hand. 

Clothing and Boots. 

This is a most important matter, and means all 
the difference between getting a benefit to health 
from your shooting, or getting ill. 

The main point is to wear nothing but flannel, and 
(if not much walking is to be done, leather,) but no 
linen of any description. 

Besides, linen, even a white collar or cuffs, is very 
conspicuous. Always have your shirt of a neutral 
colour, so that if you have to take off your coat for 
any reason, such as gralloching or climbing when it 
is hot, you will not be conspicuous. 

It is curious how some people do not understand 
this. I remember a man some years ago, (an artist 
too, who ought to have understood colour " values,") 
who came deer-stalking where I was. He had 
shot small game all his life, but never deer. He had 
a dark-green velvet jacket with brass buttons, a big 



DEER TRACKERS 77 

piece of leather over each shoulder pipeclayed white, 
and white fox-hunting breeches. 

When the forester who had charge of him had 
got hira out of sight of the house he said — 

" We may as well stop at home as try to get you 
within shot of deer with all that white about you. I 
will either have to rub you with peat till you get a 
good colour, or take you home." 

The "gun" preferred the former alternative ! 

The tint used by the British troops in India 
and Africa, called khaki, I do not consider a good 
colour for stalking. It is much too light in colour for 
ordinary scenery; it may perhaps do in deserts, but 
I know on the tan of the arena at the Military 
Tournament in London it was very conspicuous. 

Most beginners get their clothes too light in colour, 
generally a very light grey, which shows a mile off, 
but the wearer is never tired of explaining to you 
how invisible it makes him. 

There is a grey-green called the Lovat mixture 
which is very good. I like my clothes to be the 
prevailing tint of the season, getting more yellow 
and red in it as the autumn advance. Of course 
white is best in snow. 

I also find it is better not to be dressed entirely 
in one colonr. It is more invisible, for instance, to 
have the jacket grey-green, the knickerbockers or 
breeches grey, the waistcoat heather colour (if in 
Scotland), than to have all of one uniform colour. 
In the latter case you look a mass of one colour 



78 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

and your outline shows, but in the former case your 
colour is more " broken up," as we artists say ; one 
part of you represents a rock, another a tuft of 
heather growing on it with a patch of grass beside 
it, &c., and it is more difficult to separate you from 
the surrounding objects when you are stationary. 
Nature always does this in animal colouring. 

In this way I have found brown, or even black 
leather gaiters, (representing peat or black stumps), 
quite inconspicuous as long as the wearer did not 
move. This, in fact, is the real secret of being 
invisible, keeping still. 

Deer will stand, if the wind is right, within a few 
yards and never notice you, but if you make the 
least movement they are off at once. 

I prefer all-wool underwear, varying in thickness 
according to the weather and time of year. A jacket 
hanging straight down, not fitting to the figure and 
not too long, merely covering the lower parts of 
one's body sufficiently, which buttons close up to 
the neck and has a collar which can turn up and 
fasten with a tag, is the right kind to wear. The 
sleeves should turn over with a cuff, which cuff can 
be turned over the hands if cold and cover them to 
the end of the fingers. 

For the legs I prefer knickerbocker-breeches, as 
giving more freedom to the legs when climbing, but 
they should not button very tight below the knee 
(knickerbockers, if worn, need not buckle below the 
knee at all), or, if you do not catch cold easily and 



DEER TRACKERS 79 

there are not many thorns about, breeches cut off 
just above the knee, as worn by Swiss peasants, 
leaving the knee bare, are still better for climbing, 
and I think less apt to give rheumatism, as the knee 
dries as soon as it gets wet, instead of having a 
clammy bit of cloth against it all day. 

The waistcoat should also button close up to the 
throat, and the jacket should button all the way down 
over it. 

The pockets should all have button flaps to pre- 
vent things falling out of them. I have on the right 
shoulder a sort of epaulette strap, which buttons on, 
under which my telescope strap goes, so that the 
strap does not slip down when I am crawling, or 
when the weight of the telescope is not resting on 
the strap. 

Cloth for these things can now be had which is 
semi-waterproof, like fox-hunting cloths, and will 
throw off a good shower. 

For the legs I prefer woollen stockings fastened 
with a bit of tape some four feet long, which I wind 
round the leg below the knee and turn down the top of 
the stocking over this. If you wear a garter to keep up 
the stocking it cuts the leg and is apt to give varicose 
veins. By having the tape some three or more feet 
long you can wind it spirally round the leg, so that 
it gets a wider bearing surface and holds the stocking 
up without having to be as tight as a narrow garter. 
Some stockings have the turn-down top very elastic; 
this, if properly litted, will almost keep up the 



8o PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

stocking by itself. A pattern of neutral colours will 
be less conspicuous than one plain tint ; if you do 
not mind the oddity, the stockings of different 
colours will be still more invisible. 

For boots I prefer wide-soled shooting boots 
studded with aluminium or copper nails, as they are 
less liable to slip than steel ones ; and I have a loop 
at the back, through which I pass the laces before 
fastening them, so as to prevent their slipping up 
and cutting your ankles. If you have to stalk over 
" noisy " ground, such as rocks, it is as well to have 
a pair of galoshes, or mocassins to put on when 
doing so. 



CHAPTER VIII 



FALLOW-DEER SHOOTING 



ALTHOUGH there are a few herds of wild 
fallow deer, the fallow deer is seldom found 
outside parks within the British Islands. Where 
wild, they are shot much as red deer are shot, but 
they are less easy to stalk under such conditions, as 
they prefer wooded country and move about more 
than red deer. 

The rifle for wild fallow deer may be a little less 
powerful than for red deer. 

Park shooting needs the utmost caution, on 
account of the risk to people who may be about. 
No shot ought to be fired in a park unless the 
firer is certain that his background is safe. The 
high wall, which often surrounds old parks, makes 
a safe background against which to fire. 

Only rifles shooting weak charges should be 
used. My own preference is for a '36 rifle, 
shooting a very weak charge of black powder, 

and loaded with a very hollow-pointed lead bullet. 

-7 81 



82 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

The chief thing in choosing a rifle for park use is 
to select one powerful enough to kill a fallow 
buck, but which will not carry long distances. The 
modern high-power, small-bore, smokeless powder, 
nickel-coated bullet, armament must never be used 
in a park. 

By " a rifle powerful enough to kill a fallow 
buck," I mean a weapon the bullet from which 
will kill the animal outright when it strikes him 
in the brain. It need not be powerful enough to 
drop him to a bad body-shot. 

A park fallow deer should never be shot except 
in the head, because— 

1. A body wound spoils his meat. 

2. A body wound spoils his skin. 

3. The poor beast is in a confined space, and 
cannot ultimately refuse to be shot at, however 
long he may elude your attempt. It is only 
sportsmanlike to give him a "sporting chance," 
and a body shot under such conditions is poor 
" law " for him, besides being a bungling piece 
of work. . One ought never to try a shot unless one 
is satisfied that the chance of killing the beast 
amounts to a practical certainty. 

Shooting for the brain, however, requires care. 
A low shot will break the jaw, and hours of work 
are likely to follow before you can finish the job. 
The buck will run into the middle of the herd, 
and the whole thing will be a botched affair, not 
to mention the needless cruelty, for you may 



FALLOW-DEER SHOOTING 83 

never get another chance at the wounded animal 
until the herd has been so harried that they will 
turn him out. 

The safest shot, as far as clean kilhng goes, is 
to fire when the buck's head is up and he is 
looking straight away from you. A shot between 
the ears from behind will drop him stone dead 
where he stands. If it goes lower, but gets his 
neck bones, it will drop him also. If too high, 
it will miss, him, and so no harm be done. If to 
one side and low, it may cut the jugular vein, 
and, at worst, will inflict no more than a flesh 
wound. 

The second safest shot, from the "killing" 
point of view, is to hit him in the forehead as he 
faces the rifle. A low miss, if in the direct 
vertical line, may still drop him. The danger lies 
in being a little too low, for such a shot may 
break his nose and not stop him. Moreover, a 
nose wound frequently does not bleed more than 
a few drops round the nostrils, which the animal 
will lick off, so that you may find it hard to 
recognise him in the herd. (Never shoot deer 
without carrying a field glass or telescope.) 

None but a good shot, and he only at close 
range, ought to fire at the head of a fallow buck 
ill profile. The spot to hit, then, is just above the 
centre of a line between the root of the ear and the 
corner of the eye, and the least deviation will miss 
the brain. The almost inevitable consequence is to 



84 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

send him off with a broken jaw, and you with a 
devout wish that the shot had never been fired. 
A wild deer, hit thus, is not Hkely to give you a 
second sight of him. Or, as once happened to 
me, you may spy him days afterwards with the 
glass, endeavouring to drink from the stream in 
which he stands, but unable to do so. He will 
elude any stalking, and may perish miserably of 
inability either to drink or feed. The sight cured 
me of taking " profile " head-shots at wild deer. 
If you drive in a cart which the deer are accustomed 
to see, you may get a close shot out of it, but be 
sure that the horse stands fire. 

The custom of some parks is to cut a buck's 
throat instead of sticking him, but this seems 
needlessly cruel to my ideas. The place to stick 
a deer is at the junction of throat and breast, 
where the ring of a hunting breast-plate comes 
on a horse. A thrust here goes straight to the 
heart. The knife should be long and broad, and 
held like a foil, not a dagger. A beginner is apt 
to break- the point of the knife on the shoulder 
bones. 

Caution is needful in sticking a deer. The best 
plan is to approach from behind, on the side from 
which he is facing, and seize the horn on the side 
farthest from yourself. Dig the nearer horn into 
the earth, or kneel on the head, and never let go 
until the buck is stuck and yon have got clear of 
him. Otherwise he may plunge straight into you. 



FALLOW-DEER SHOOTING 85 

The safest of all methods of " sticking " is for 
some one to seize a hind leg and turn the animal 
on his back. A buck can give a nasty cut with 
his fore-feet. 

The reason for park-shooting is usually to thin 
the herd and improve the stock, and not to kill 
good heads. Therefore the animals to be chosen 
are the worst bucks — the bucks which are of a 
bad colour, have " bad heads," are deformed, 
lame, aged, or otherwise undesirable for breeding 
purposes. 



CHAPTER IX 



ROE-DEER SHOOTING. 



THIS is a subject on which I do not much hke 
to write. A roe deer is so pretty, and cries 
so Hke a child when hurt, that I very much disHke 
shooting one. Last year, at a big wild-boar drive 
in the Ardennes, I was next to a man who has shot 
many boar and deer. A fine roe buck passed slowly 
close to him and he did not even take up his gun, 
although he had a pair, in the usual way, lying cocked 
on his "rest." When that beat was over I asked 
him why he did not shoot. He said that the little 
buck came along skipping, and, as the wind blew the 
dead leaves about on the snow, he played about 
and hit at them with his fore-feet like a kitten, until 
he could not find it in his heart to kill the little 
animal. 

I have a very tame little roe buck, from Siberia, 
and he comes up to be nursed, and when his horns 
are in velvet he likes them rubbed. I suppose they 
irritate, as they feel very hot and feverish when the 



ROE-DEER SHOOTING 87 

velvet is about to be cast. I would not advise any 
one to make a pet of a roe buck, however, as they 
are as quick as lightning with their horns, and there 
are tales of their having killed men, stabbing 
repeatedly when the man is down. 

If a roe has to be shot, however, he should be shot 
with a rifle as befits a deer, not with a shot-gun. 
In cover shooting, where roe and small game come 
together, and there are a lot of beaters about, this is 
not practicable, but in such cases I would prefer to 
say that no roe should be shot at, and leave them 
for another time, and then stalk them properly with 
a rifle. 

A roe is very hard to stalk. They are so restless 
that if you see one in a clearing, and take half an 
hour to get to him, it is ten chances to one he will 
be gone when you get there, even if he has not 
seen you or got your wind. You have to make 
the stalk as short and simple as possible. In the 
early morning, or just before sunset, you may get 
a chance at a roe near water or in corn. Roe 
generally go in a family party, and that is another 
reason why I do not like to kill them. The little 
doe calls and frets after the buck if he is shot. With 
fallow and red deer, where one male goes with as 
large a herd of hinds, or does, as he can keep to- 
gether, the ladies of his family are glad of an excuse 
to get away with a fresh husband when he is killed, 
and do not fret after him, as the well-known 
French saying testifies. A roe is very inquisitive; 



88 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

if you have missed one, and he disappears into 
cover, follow him up wind silently and you may 
often see him again, looking back to find if you 
are following him. 

The rifle which I use is the '36 recommended 
before for fallow-deer shooting, only in this 
case I shoot for the shoulder. A roe's head is 
much too small to risk hitting him in the jaw. If 
he is down wounded in long ferns, where you 
have to hunt for him like a winged partridge, be 
careful of his horns. 



CHAPTER X 



WILD-BOAR SHOOTING 



THE rifle suitable for shooting deer is of little 
use against wild boar, or, I suppose, any sort 
of game which is found and shot in thick covert. 

I have shot all my boar in the Ardennes. The 
cover there is so thick, and the rides so narrow, 
that one seldom fires a shot at longer ranges than 
60 yards, while the distance is often 20 yards, or 
even less. The animal is usually going as fast as he 
can, and one fires on a glimpse, rather than a full 
sight of, the entire beast. 

Under such circumstances an express rifle requires 
the utmost skill in handling, and however carefully 
and accurately such a weapon may be used there is 
always great danger that the bullet will be deflected 
from a branch or twig, and so find its way to a beater 
or one of the other guns. Most men, consequently, 
use a cylinder-bored 12-bore shot-gun, and fire a 
charge of ballets — nine round bullets, arranged in 
layers of three. The idea of such a " duffer " weapon 
is, however, unattractive, and the best compromise 



90 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

to my mind is a " shot-and-ball gun," a weapon 
which shoots shot, or a conical bullet with hollow 
point, as the preference may be. With a small 
powder charge and a big hollow bullet of this kind 
there need be no great danger if one is careful and 
pays proper attention to the direction, and distance 
from which the beaters are advancing, and the 
relative position of the other guns. And when the 
boar is dead, one has the satisfaction of feeling that 
he fell to a bullet. 

The best shot at boar of my acquaintance is a 
Belgian, He will kill pig right and left with a 
double-barrelled express just as if they were rabbits. 
He always fires snap-shots, and takes no more 
deliberate aim with his express than ,he Vv^ould do 
with his shot-gun. He teDs me that he has never 
fired at a stationary target in his life. 

This Belgian's skill would soon be spoiled if he 
took to stationary target-shooting on the ranges, 
and I have had him in my mind during the pre- 
ceding chapters as the kind of shot which I should 
like to see, my pupils become. A rifleman should 
be no less ashamed of taking a pot-shot with his 
weapon than a man who has " potted " a sitting 
partridge with his shot-gun. 

Whether a rifle or gun is the weapon selected for 
shooting boar, it should be as short as possible, so 
as to avoid the risk of catching a twig or bough. It 
should be furnished with a sling for carrying, and 
with large, easily visible sights. My preference is a 



WILD-BOAR SHOOTING 91 

big shot-gun fore-sight, and a large, especially open, 
'' V " hind-sight. 

Some men take the precaution to have a small 
bayonet fixed on their weapon, but my idea is that 
the man who fails to stop a charging boar with two 
barrels deserves any scratches which he may receive 
in consequence. The best spot at which to aim is 
behind the ear ; but if the boar is charging this is 
impossible, and you must fire between his eyes. In 
this case be careful about the angle of fire, or the 
bullet will glance off his sloping skull, and the only 
result be to infuriate the hurt animal. 

A particular, though vital, reason against the use 
of buck shot or ballets for boar is, to my mind, the 
awkwardness, not to say impossibility, of using 
them on a boar when he is fighting with the dogs. 
The Belgians use for this an especially light double- 
barrelled '45 rifle, with small charge of cordite 
powder, as a secondary arm to the double-barrelled 
i2-bore shot-gun shooting " ballets." 

The boar are driven from one clump to another 
by beaters and dogs. The dogs used are mongrels 
and of small size. Large dogs are more apt to get 
injured, as they cannot dodge a boar so quickly, 
and also tend to get hung up by brambles more 
readily than small dogs which can squeeze through 
a hole. The Dogs' Home at Battersea is a good 
place at which to look for dogs for this purpose. 
There one may often pick up a "good" dog — in the 
sense that he is a good fighter — which has been 



()2 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

condemned because savage, or given to fighting 
with his neighbours. A dog condemned on these 
grounds is "good" for boar. It was from the 
Home that I got a couple of fighting Irish terriers 
which are the pick of our pack. One of them 
refused to be taken out of the railway van when 
he first arrived at Brussels, going for every one 
who attempted to dislodge him. He is wonderful at 
boar. The first boar that ever crossed his view he 
tackled and caught by the ear with such purpose 
that he refused to leave hold when the animal had 
been killed, and had, consequently, to be driven 
home in the game cart with the carcase. 

The " guns " are posted round the cover. Each 
"gun" usually has a gun-rest in front of him, and 
on this he supports his 12-bore shot-gun and his 
rifle, ready to hand, whichever he may choose to use 
first. Some men add a lighter gun loaded with 
No. 6 shot, in case a pheasant or hare should come 
their way. I do not approve of this shooting at small 
game when after boar, and personally I let even roe 
deer pass then. A shot is liable to turn back any 
boar which may be nearly breaking cover. But if 
your neighbours choose to be less careful, there is 
no need to complain of their acting in a way which 
will probably send you boar that would otherwise 
have broken near them. 

Another little matter which smokers seem in- 
capable of appreciating is that smoking at a stand 
is prejudicial to getting a shot at deer or boar. 



WILD-BOAR SHOOTING 93 

Smokers, indeed, seem to suffer from a pretty 
general delusion in regard to their habit. Foresters, 
for instance, will often omit no precaution to assure 
themselves that the '' wind is right," i.e., blowing 
from the game towards themselves, and they will be 
equally careful to run no risk of being seen by the 
deer. But while they fear that a deer may scent 
themselves, they quite ignore the thick cloud which 
is ascending from their pipes, and the tobacco 
foresters and gillies smoke is pretty strong in per- 
fume ! Thus, at some boar- drives, while you can 
neither see nor hear your neighbours, who are 
standing as still as mice, the position of one of them 
is frequently apparent by the regular puffs of smoke 
rising above the cover. Smokers who are perfectly 
reasonable on all other matters will not understand 
that this is so, but non-smokers who are shooting 
with them really need not cry out. As in the case 
of a neighbouring gun who cannot resist taking a 
shot at small game, their loss is your gain, and 
you will undoubtedly have cause to thank a pipe for 
many shots at boar which have skirted away from 
the smoker's stand to your's. 

It is a good plan to have your stick made with a 
thin saw blade, fitted into a recess in the stick, which 
can be used when required to cut small branches. 
When at your pass, if you can do so without being 
heard by the boar, it is advisable to cut a few 
well-leaved fir branches, and stick them in a natural 
position in front of you to prevent advancing game 



94 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

seeing your legs, which, as the boar come through 
the brushwood, are the most Hkely part of you to 
attract their attention ; also it is as well to cut 
down any branches which obstruct your view, or 
are apt to be in the way of yonr gun or rifle should 
you need to take a quick shot. Do not leave your 
post under any circumstances without letting your 
neighbour know, as you may shoot each other if 
your positions are altered ; also do not leave your 
post till the three blasts from the horn tell you that 
each drive is over. When leaving your pass make 
sure your neighbours are also leaving theirs, as 
otherwise a "gun" may be left behind and may 
lose himself. If you have to follow a wounded 
boar, first let the other guns know you are doing so, 
otherwise you will delay the next drive ; but if you 
let them know they can go on without you. 

Stuffers have a trick of drawing out a boar's 
tusks from the gums, so that they may appear 
much longer than they really are — an illegitimate 
trick, against which I warn those who may not be 
aware of it. A boar has so much of his tusk buried 
in the gum that it only needs a careful extraction 
and subsequent reinsertion — the tusk being held in 
place by attachment to a plug which has been driven 
into the empty socket — in order to make a quite 
moderate boar appear, in the Belgian phrase, 
" radement arnie." Further, if you have occasion 
to send a dead boar by rail, be careful to have 
him sewn up in a sealed sack, or he will arrive at 



WILD-BOAR SHOOTING 95 

his destination half bald, people having a trick of 
helping themselves to his bristles. 

The greatest care is necessary when using the 
knife on a wounded boar. The safest plan is to 
approach from behind whilst he is occupied with 
the dogs, seize his further ear, and strike down- 
wards behind the near ear. But make certain that 
the dogs have a firm hold, or he is more than 
likely to rip you. 

If you should have the misfortune to fall w^hen 
charged by a boar, do all you know to fall flat on the 
face, and prevent his turning you over. The great 
danger lies in getting the vitals ripped ; a gash in 
the back is usually much less grave. A charging 
boar cannot turn rapidly. If you fail to drop a 
charging boar at close quarters, wait until he is all 
but on you and jump aside. 

Never let a ivoiinded hoar go back among the 
heaters. 

The right moment to take a boar is as he leaves 
the side of the covert which is being driven and 
crosses the drive on w^hich you are stationed ; but 
this is often impossible if the next gun is posted in 
line. If this is not possible, do not fire at a solitaire 
— the name for a big boar — unless you are sure of 
killing him. Always hold your fire rather than risk 
sending a solitaire back to the beaters \vi\h a wound 
in him. But if a wounded boar breaks back let the 
beaters know at once. They can get their dogs 
together, or at least be on the look-out, and so avoid 



96 PRACTICAL RIFLE SHOOTING 

part of the extreme danger consequent on an un- 
expected encounter with the infuriated brute. 

Wounded boar are dangerous to the last. In a 
case within my knowledge a wounded boar turned 
back and lay under a tree. A beater, seeing him 
and believing him dead, poked him with a stick. 
The unfortunate beater got a big hole in his thigh 
which kept him in hospital for over a month ; two 
other beaters were knocked down, and the boar was 
found dead a week later over the frontier. This 
boar had been hit by ballets at close range. His 
jaw was broken and his eyesight nearly destroyed, 
or he would have done even worse damage. The 
moral is, be sure that a pig is dead before you take 
the least liberty with him. 

The hands must be kept warm somehow. If you 
wear woollen gloves they cannot be taken off 
instantly when you want to take a shot. Some 
shooters carry a muiT, either on a strap passed 
round the neck, which is apt to catch in things, or 
strapped round the waist. This latter way, if a man 
is at all stout, does not add charm to his appearance. 
What I find best and most practical is to have two 
vertical slits made at the level of your hands in your 
jacket ; into them you can put your hands whilst 
resting your rifle on your forearm, with the muzzle 
pointing to the ground, in a convenient position for 
instant use. These slits should be lined with fur. 

There are short socks, called American socks, 
which are a good thing to wear over the ordinary 



WiLD-BOAR SHOOTING 97 

woollen stocking, as they absorb the moisture and 
keep the feet comparatively dry when wearing 
waterproof boots. If you turn down the top of 
the sock over the top of the rubber boot it 
keeps the wet from coming in over the tops of 
the boots. Nailed boots are rather dangerous on 
ice ; ridges across the sole of the boots, made of 
leather or rubber put on diagonally, prevent slip- 
ping better. 

As wild-boar shooting takes place principally in 
winter, and the Ardennes are high and cold then, it 
is important to be dressed warmly enough. One 
stands still and walks hard alternately, when going 
from beat to beat. It is therefore best to have a short 
fur-lined jacket, with fur collar, which will turn up 
to protect the ears when necessary, taking care that 
this fur is not of a kind which will tickle the neck if 
your skin is sensitive. The jacket can then be left 
unbuttoned whilst climbing and buttoned when 
you reach your pass. Long indiarubber boots are 
generally worn, as the snow, which is often just on 
the melting point, penetrates most leather boots. 
Rubber, however, is very unpleasant to walk in, 
especially if your feet break through half-frozen 
snow at every step. 



CONCLUSION 

I DO not mention the use of the rifle for war 
purposes, as I confine my instructions to 
subjects on which I have personal experience. My 
views may have some merit as being the result of 
this experience, although I am aware that they are 
not universally accepted. It may, however, seem 
an admissible belief that the man who can use his 
rifle as he uses his knife and fork, as a matter of 
habit, and without needing to consider what he is 
doing ; who can hit his mark very near the centre, 
instantly, at any reasonable range, and at whatever 
rate it is moving ; and who has had experience in 
stalking game, and in taking cover ; — should make a 
more useful soldier or scout than the man who 
has only shot at a stationary target, and then only 
in the prone position, and who would lose him- 
self were he turned out in a deer forest. 



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. . HINTS ON . . 

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By WALTER WINANS 

Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanilaus of Russia, Vice- 
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. THE ART OF . 

Revolver Shooting 

By WALTER WINANS 

Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanilaus of Russia, Vice- 
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beintf made in the House or Gar- 
den, and are made to 
take the •297/-230 long 
or short cartridge. A 
Special Tube is also 
made for the -22 Rim 
Fire cartridge, which 
gives excellent results 
at 20 yards. To con- 
vert the Revolver, re- 
move cylinder and in- 
sert tube in barrel, and 
fix the Loose Sight 
over strap of barrel. 




" W.P." Hammer Revolver. 

(Pocket Model.) 6 shot. 3-in. barrel. 



"W.G." Target Revolver. 

7j-in. barrel, shooting either -450 or -455. 



Illlllliiiiii 



For either long or short 
•320 cartridge. 



Unsurpassed for 
accuracy of 
shooting, rapid- 
ity, safety, strength, con- 
tinuous firing, quick sight- 
ing, perfectly smooth trigger 
action, and absolute immunity from ; 
risk of blowing open. These celebrati 
pistols are admitted to be far ahead 
all other makes of Extracting Revolve 



WORKS: 81 TO 91, WEAMAN STREET, BIRMINGHAM. Telegrams: 

London Depot: 78, SHAFTESBURY AVENUE, W. "WEBLEY, BIRMINGHAM.' 



Charles Lancaster, 

Gunmaker by Waxrants of Appointment to His Majesty The King, 
H.I.M, The German Emperor, H.R.H. Prince Christian, etc., etc, 

Invites application for his Illustrated Gun and Rifle Catalogue and 
Special Cartridge Lists. 

HAMMERLESS EJECTOR GUNS 

£26, <35, and £45 net. 

Single=Trigger Guns a Speciality. 

HIGH VELOCITY "CORDITE" RIFLES, 

■256, -303, 370, and -450 Bore. 

" Ross " Straight-Piill Magazine Rifles. 
Lee-Enfields, Mausers, and Mannlicher Rifles. 



Gun-Fitting and Lessons at Private Shooting 
Grounds near Willesden Junction, N.W. 




" The Art of Shooting," 6th and Popular Edition, 2s.6d., postage 6d. extra. 
(Established 1826 at 151, New Bond Street, W.) Removed to 

II, Panton Street, Haymarket, London, S.W. 

(Opposite the Comedy Theatre.) 



THE IDEAL 



CARTRIDGE 



SPORTSMEN 



MARVELLOUSLY 



SHOULD USE 



LOADED WITH 






DIAMOND -^> 

' GUNPOWDER J 



QUICK 



SMOKELESS 



DIAMOND 



To be obtained ^S^ v^ ' NOTES ON SHOOTING,' 

through any Gunmaker or Dealer. Xi,^^^^Nintll Edition, price 6d. post free 

CURTIS & HARYEY, Ltd., 3, Gracechurch Street, E.G. 

Wholesale only. 



m> m. g reener, 

THE ENGLISH GUNMAKER. 

. . Established 1829. . . 

The Celebrated 

"SHARPSHOOTER CLUB "310 Bore 



THE RIFLE 
AND ITS 
CAPABILITY. 

— *— 



The Best Shooting 
•^ ever made at 
^ 50 Yards, 




— 


AND — 




" MINIATURE 


CLUB"B^?e 




RIFLES. 


^^^^ Prices Only— 

1|^ £3 3s. Cd. 

^Hk^ nnd 

^1^. £2 12s. 6d. 

^^^^ Respectively. 


i 




Orthoptic . 
Sights 
£110 

extra. 

* 




\^^ 


\ 207 2 "50 or 
\ -22 LJore. 



a 



ACTUAL SIZE. 



The above diagram was made with a W. W. Green-r " Club " Rifle, -22 bore, in a 

public competition held for the purpose of testing rifles (The Army and Navy 

llld. Rifle Trials). Made under strictest test conditions. The winning diagram. 

Competitors included Enghsh, Belgian, and American Rifles. 

Send for Illustrated Target and Rifle Catalogue, post free. 

68, HAYMARKET, LONDON 

Or Address, Bl R M I l\G II AM. 



W. R. LEESON, 

Qun and "^ifle JVtanufacturer, 

By Appointment to His Royal Highness the late 
Duke of Saxe-Cohurg-Grotha. 

FOR M I N I ATU RE RANGES. 

No. 1. A plain, sound, accurate rifle, shooting a -22 bore 
long rim fire cartridge, with detachable barrel 22 inches 
long, weighing 4J lbs., fitted with military pattern front 
sight and V adjustable rear sight that can be regulated 
for 25 or so yards £115 

No. 2. A better quality rifle shooting the 
above cartridge, barrel 24 inches long, wjight 
5| lbs., sighted to 100 yards ... £2 17 6 

The above rifles will shoot '22 short rim 
fire cartridges if required. If fitted 
with military sight, £0 10 O extra. 

Aperture rear sight and com- 
bined solid and hollow bead 
front sight, £10 extra. 



1^ 




7iv- 



No. 3. A minia- 
ture match rifle made 
in '2 2 or -25 bore rim fire, 
or -250 bore central fire, with 
28 inch steel barrel, fitted with 
adjustable aperture rear sight and 
combined hollow and solid bead 
front sight, and regulated for 25, 50, 
and 100 yards. Weight 5 J lbs., £6 6 
This rifle can be made with any length 
or bend of stock as desired. 

No. 4. A miniature match rifle made 
in the above bores, hammer or hammerless, 
side lever, snap action of extra quality work- 
manship and fin-sh, fitted with aperture adjust- 
able rear sight and improved wind gauge front 
sight with combined hollow and solid bead. 
Length of barrel, 28 inches. Weight 5J lbs. Specially 
constructed pistol grip of improved pattern, as used 
by ISIr. Walter Winans and other celebrated shots, 
£10 10 



ASHFORD, KENT, 



AND 



London Office -31, GEORGE STREET, HANOVER SQUARE, W. 



Telegraphic Address : " GUNMAKERS, EDINBURGH.*' 
ESTAB. 1878.] — [ESTAB. 1878. 

Daniel Fraser a? Co. 



* * * 



4, £eitD Street Cerrace, Cdinburgl) 

(near 'Waverley Station). 

Manufacturers of Guns and Rifles of all descriptions and 
also Patent Telescopic Sight for Rifles. 



Our Weapons are known all over the World for their 
Efficiency, Finish, Balance, and Accuracy. . . 

All Shooting & Sighting done by one Person only— Mr. D. M. FRASER. 



FRASER'S PATENT SIDE LEVER 
FALLING BLOCK ACTION. 

The most efficient and Simple Hammerless Single Action on 
the Market. 

FRASER'S PATENT EJECTORS. 

For Double Guns and Rifles. 

ERASER'S PATENT TRIGGER MECHANISM. 

For converting the awkward Double Pull common to Mauser 
and Mannlicher into an ordinary Pull. (This Mechanism can 
also be fitted to Rifles by other Makers, and is acknowledged 
to be extremely beneficial.) 

FRASER'S PATENT SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM. 

For Guns and Rifles. Simple and Efficient. Two Pulls only. 

FRASER^S PATENT TELESCOPIC SIGHT. 

In use for 20 years, and still the BEST. 

ERASER'S PATENT ROOK and RABBIT PISTOL. 

Detachable Skeleton Stock. Can be carried in the pocket or 
strapped to a Cycle. Very useful and Guaranteed Accurate. 



Write for Particulars. Lists on Application. 

Range Telephone: 46 PORTOBELLO. Warehouse Telephone : No. 1012. 



GOLD & SILVER MEDALS, SILVER & BRONZE MEDALS, 

1904. 1905. 




RELOADING MINIATURE AMMUNITION 

FOR USE ON MINIATURE AND OUTDOOR RANGES, 

For teaching Beginners the art of Rifle Shooting with the 
Service Rifle. 

As recommended by Mr. 'Walter Winans. 

A STEEL OAETHID&E CASE THAT CAN BE RELOADED ON 
THE SPOT WITHOUT TOOLS IN 3 SECONDS. 

Single Loading or Magazine rapid fire can be practised. 

Steel Cartridge Cases, 6/- per dozen. 

Reloads, 35/- per 1,000. 

Card Targets for 25 yards, 5/- per 1,000. 

Miniature Moving and Disappearing Target Ranges of every 
Description built to suit space and requirements. 



SEND FOR BOOKLET " ALL ABOUT IT. 



RELOADING MINIATURE AMMUNITION GO. 

27, Upper Marylebone Street, 

Telegrams, " Reloading, London." Teleplione 4929, Gerrard. 

9 



To Shortly be Published by 
Messrs. G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

THE SPORTING 

RIF L£ By 

WALTER WINANS 



This work, which will be very profusely illustrated, both 
by the Author, T. Blinks, and other well-known artists, 
will give in much fuller form than was possible in " Practical 
Rifle Shooting" by the same Author, the fullest details, 
with diagrams, as to how to handle the rifle for all sorts 
of game shooting, and also for winning prizes in shooting 
competitions at moving targets. 

Besides illustrating the various makes of rifles, there will 
be a unique set of working drawings showing in minute 
detail how to construct " Running Deer " and disappearing 
targets. 

Maps and plans giving directions how to post the " guns " 
for Deer Driving and how to manoeuvre the beaters, will 
also be a feature of this new and important work. 

As the Author has had more experience than any man 
living in Deer Driving, these maps are invaluable to those 
who have an occasional "drive" in their deer-forest, and 
have not had enough experience in this manner of shoot- 
ing deer to know how best to post the " guns." 

The natural history part of the work will be illustrated 
by a series of photographs, taken from life by H. Penfold, 
illustrating the gradual growth of a stag's horns from 
when they first bud, to when the stag appears as a full- 
blown " Royal." 



PREDK. C. BAYLEY 

34, Strand, W.C, and 
19, Green Street, Leicester Sq., LONDON. 




SHIRT MAKER and 
GLOVER. 

Flannel Shirts with Detached 
Collars (Special Line) ... 7/6 

Flannel Shirts ... ... 8/6 

„ Best 10/6 

(Recommended for Sporting, Use.) 

Ceylon Shirts for Tropical 
Wear 5/6 & 7/6 

Silk and Wool Shirts, Luxu- 
rious Wear ... ...10/6 

Pure Silk Shirts, Exceptional 
Value 17/6 

Pure Silk Shirts, Heavy 
Weight 21/- 



Deerstalking Telescopes 




Have been successfully used on the principal moors and 
forests for over 40 years and are 

. . . STILL UNRIVALLED. . . . 

Unanimously pronounced the finest scouting glasses 
during the South African War. 

CATALOGUES FREE. 

DALLMEYER'S PRISMATIC BINOCULARS *=^"„rhrr" 

Cheapest, Strongest and Best. Descriptive Circular free. 

J. H. DALLB(EYER, Ltd., '^tT" London, W. 



y 



CHARING CROSS 

URKISH BATHS. 




(NEVILL'5.) 

Gentlemen's Entrance : 
NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE. 

SEPARATE BATH FOR LADIES. 

Entrance — Northumberland Passage, 
Craven Street, Strand. 



PRONOUNCED TO BE THE FINEST IN EUROPE. 

Admission^B a.m. to 7 p.m., 3s. 6cl. ; after 7 p.m., 2s. 



These Baths stand on what was formerly part of the 
grounds of the celebrated Northumberland House. Thej' 
occupied nearly three years in building, and involved an ex- 
penditure of £30,000. They comprise a large suite of Bath 
Rooms, having a floor space of about twelve thousand feet, 
with a smaller suite in a separate but adjacent building for 
the exclusive use of ladies ; the Cooling Rooms, which are 
fitted in the most luxurious manner, are surmounted by a 
lofty dome specially designed to permit free circulation of 
air and to ensure perfect ventilation ; the heating and ven- 
tilation of the hot chambers have been brought to a state 
of perfection by a system first introduced by the Proprietors 
of these Baths, while the whole of the decorations of both 
Hot and Cooling Rooms have been designed by most 
eminent authorities. 



- - AND AT - - 



LONDON BRIDGE, 
ALDGATE, 
EDGWARE ROAD. 



WOOL EXCHANGE, 
BROAD STREET, 
&c. 



PROSPECTUS POST FREE. 



'Viyella' 



(Regd.) 




THE IDEAL MATERIAL 

FOR 

all Athletic 
Purposes. 

DAY AND NIGHT WEAR. I 



" C. B. FRY'S IflAGflZII^E " says : 

" That VIYELLA washes well 
"is beyond dispute. I have 
"subjected it to several search= 
"ing tests, and it has always 
"emerged triumphant." 



Leading Outfitters 
and Hosiers, 

or Name of Nearest sent by 

"VIYELLA," Friday St., LONDON. 



